


Countdown

by TheRaspberryPancake



Series: Countdown [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Coffee date, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Fake Character Death, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Lies, Love Confessions, M/M, Movie Night, POV First Person, POV Hinata Shouyou, POV Tsukishima Kei, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Study Date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:28:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 22,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25916617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRaspberryPancake/pseuds/TheRaspberryPancake
Summary: Legend has it that when you meet your soulmate, you and only you can see a countdown on their wrist. The countdown indicates how many days your soulmate has left to live. Your soulmate can't see their own countdown, only you can. So, what will you do with this information? Will you tell them their lifespan or keep it a secret? What if it says they'll die in a year? Do you lie to them?Ok, different scenario. What if you were at volleyball practice, just a random example, and you happened to notice some writing on one of your teammates wrists? So, naturally, you move a little closer to see what the writing is and realise that it's a number. Anyway, you ask your best friend about it and they say they can't see anything. Congratulations, you found your soulmate. Only problem is, you're both highly convinced that you hate each other. Life really be like that sometimes.How would you deal with it? Wait, better question.How will Kei and Shoyo deal with it?
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Tsukishima Kei, Yachi Hitoka/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Series: Countdown [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1880848
Comments: 13
Kudos: 62





	1. 327 days

**Author's Note:**

> I would just like to point out before this fic starts that I don't write in first person anymore. It's just that this particular story works better in first person. Sorry if you don't like first person POVs. Also this went up on my Wattpad back in November 2019 so if you think you've seen it before, you probably have.

~Tsukishima~

"Stingyshima! Give it back!" I watch the ginger boy jump around beneath me. It brings a smile to my face, seeing him so helpless like this. I don't understand why he's so bothered though. He flubbed the receive and the ball came my way so ,naturally, I have to keep the poor thing safe from his overall shitty volleyball skills.

I snigger at him. "Or what? What are you going to do about it, shorty." I don't know why I enjoy teasing him like this. It's just in my nature I suppose. I'm not a horrible person, I swear, he's just a fun person to piss off.

"Come on! Give it back already!" He jumps higher this time, still unable to reach. It doesn't matter how high the freak jumps, he's not getting this back anytime soon. "I don't understand what you're getting out of this!" He yells in desperation, making me laugh even more as I watch him flail around.

That's when I noticed it, some black writing on Hinata's wrist. I need to see what it says but the little shit won't stop jumping around. "Hang on a minute." Without thinking, I grab his wrist and try to hold it still so I can read what it says.

I notice Hinata's face go red. Damn, he's pathetic. Can't even handle someone grabbing his wrist. "Hey! Let go of me!" He struggles violently, how pathetic. How many times will I use pathetic to describe him? Who cares? It's the perfect description for Hinata.

"Oh for fucks sake, will you stay still?" I hiss, gripping his wrist tighter. I notice him tense up but he finally stays still, thank god. I can finally read that writing. "Oh my god.." It's a number, specifically 327. I nudge Yamaguchi who, as per usual, has been stood beside me the whole time. "Hey, are you seeing this?" I signal towards Hinata's wrist.

He blinks a few times, looking at me with a perplexed face. "Tsukki, what are you talking about? There's nothing there." Bullshit, I saw a number and I know it. How come he can't see it? Can Hinata even see it or am I actually loosing my mind? Only one way to find out.

I drop his wrist and fold my arms, letting the ball fall to the floor. "Hinata, how come you have a number written on your wrist?" Is it Kageyama's number? It's obviously Kageyama's number. Wait, nevermind, it's only three digits long so it can't be a phone number. Honestly Tsukishima, you're an absolute idiot.

"Huh?" He tilts his head sideways a little. "I didn't write anything on my wrist! Look, It's completely blank!" He shows me his wrist again, as if I'm loosing my mind or something.

I shake my head. There is a number, I can see it with my own eyes. "No... there's definitely something there..." The pair just stare at me with a blank expression. What the hell? Are they blind or something? I'm not dealing with this bullshit right now. I simply walk away from them, ignoring Yamaguchi's shouts. Honestly, that boy is so clingy.


	2. 326 days

~Tsukishima~

The light shines in through the gap in my curtains. I'd love to say it woke me up but ,the fact is, I haven't slept all night. I can't believe I actually lost sleep over some stupid number written on the shorty's wrist. I mean, it wasn't the number that got me. It was the fact that the others couldn't see it. Why is that? And why could I see it if they couldn't? What does it even mean? Ugh, I can't believe I'm doing this but I'm going to ask someone about it. I open the Instagram app and scroll through for a bit, trying to find someone who's online. It looks like Yachi's the only one. I mean, she's bearable so I guess I could talk to her.

Saltyshima: You on?

Yachi2471: Yeah hey Tsukishima Kun  
Yachi2471: What's up?

Saltyshima: Nothing much I just have a question

Yachi2471: Oh really?

Saltyshima: Mhm  
Yachi2471: Well I'm all ears

Saltyshima: Listen I'm just warning you that I'm going to sound like I'm losing my mind

Yachi2471: No judgement

Saltyshima: That's good ig  
Saltyshima: So basically I saw this number on Hinata's wrist but neither him or Yamaguchi could see it and I'm really confused  
Saltyshima: Any ideas on what it was?

No response, just brilliant. No judgement, she said, before proceeding to leave me on read right after I explained what happened. Some help she was. Well, now I have a couple of options on what to do next. I could spam her until she responds to me, problem is I actually have a shred of dignity left and I'm not willing to lose that over a stupid number. I could ask Tadashi but he already thinks I'm losing my mind so that's probably not the best idea. The only other thing I can think of is asking Suga, he's good with advice according to Tadashi. However, he'll probably just come up with some bullshit about it being... a magic timer? Yeah, that sounds like something Suga would say. Oh, hold up. Yachi just got back to me. Looks like she's not ignoring me after all.

Yachi2471: Sorry sorry I was just doing research

Saltyshima: Took you long enough

Yachi2471: Do you want to know what it means or not?

Saltyshima: Fair enough  
Saltyshima: Yes I do want to know

Yachi2471: Good because I don't want to have just wasted my time

Saltyshima: Just tell me already

Yachi2471: Right so basically I looked it up and-  
Yachi2471: Well  
Yachi2471: You're probably not going to like what I found out to be honest

Saltyshima: You don't know that

Yachi2471: No trust me

Saltyshima: Just fucking tell me

Yachi2471: Ok ok  
Yachi2471: I'll cut it short though for your sake

Saltyshima: Fine by me

Yachi2471: Hinata's your soulmate  
Yachi2471: The countdown tells you how many days he has left to live  
Yachi2471: Only you can see it

Excuse me what now? I thought I was talking to Yachi, not Suga! She's spewing bullshit, utter bullshit. For one, soulmates don't exist. For two, I'd rather die than have my soulmate be that... that thing. Thing sounds about right, calling him a person would be an insult to the entire human race, the little freak. Oh my god that is such bullshit. I know I've said that before but I refuse to believe it. Yachi's a liar, it's confirmed. Someone remind me never to ask her about stuff like this again.


	3. 325 days

~Tsukishima~

Happy Wednesday, I guess. I'm back at morning practice. It hasn't technically started yet technically, it should've started about twenty minutes ago but we're still waiting on Hinata. Apparently he was here before so god knows where he went. Yachi isn't here either, she's probably with him. What the hell are they doing together? I would say fucking but Hinata's a literal gay disaster, even a newborn baby could tell that, he's not exactly subtle about it. Oh, or he's asking her for advice about, well, probably about Kageyama, you can tell they're into each other. Honestly, if they expect me to be at the wedding I'm moving countries.

The door bursts open, honestly scaring me a little but I'm not about to show it to these shitheads. "Sorry! We took a while!" You should be sorry, sorry for holding the whole team up, you little shit. "Yachi said she needed to talk to me about... something! So I had to help her!" Something, huh? Not going to lie, I'm kind of curious about what this 'something' is but am I about to let him know I'm interested in his conversations? Am I fuck!

"Shoyo! Don't drag me into this!" Yachi... well I assume she's whispering. It's kind of difficult to tell though, she's being so loud! That's out of character for Yachi, to say the least. It's almost like they're trying to cover up the fact that they're planning something. Oh, who am I kidding? Even if the pair of them shared braincells they wouldn't be able to come up with anything even remotely clever. Why am I over-analysing this? Who even cares? Me apparently but we don't talk about that!

"Guys guys, it's fine!" Daichi waves his hands around a little. "I'm just glad we can finally get started with practice." There's a hint of passive aggression in his voice and quite right to, the little dickhead only held us up by twenty minutes or so. Not that I care, it's still just a club but I'd rather waste those twenty minutes actually doing something rather then just sitting around while Daichi says 'wait for Hinata to get here'. Honestly.

Coach claps his hands together. "Alright alright! Six on six today! Having exactly twelve people on the team sure is handy!" He chuckles a little. I'm sorry coach but what exactly was funny? Just give me a moment to find the joke, ok? "Ok, teams." Or don't... that's fine to... "Kageyama, Asahi, Tsukishima, Nishinoya, Yamaguchi and Narita. You guys are team A. Daichi, Suga, Tanaka, Ennoshita, Kinoshita and Hinata. You guys are team B." Are you being serious? Me and the king? On the same team? Well that's a recipe for disaster. On the bright side, at least we don't have to deal with the freak quick. "Ok, get on the court you lazy little shi-" He cuts himself off. Quite right to, come on coach keep it PG family friendly!

Anyway, onto the game. We all get ready to play, Noya's in for the whole game instead of doing his whole libero shibang because there's only twelve players so he has to stay in to make it even. Fun. Yamaguchi serves the ball up, rather well actually. I mean, why am I surprised? He's probably worked on his serve the hardest out of anyone on this god damn team. I'm proud of the kid and, coming from me, that says a lot. Daichi recieves it, surprise surprise. He gets a clean pass to Suga who sets it up for... Hinata? Shit! I was too slow! But I still have to try, that's what blockers do they block balls! I end up jumping a few seconds after him so there's no way I'm catching up to him now. Still, if I give up coach'll lay into me and ain't nobody got time for that. 

As he reaches his arm up to spike, I notice the number on his wrist from Monday. At first, I thought nothing of it until I saw what it said. It'd gone down by two, now reading 325. Damn, it actually adds up with what Yachi said yesterday. I'll have to ask someone about it, Tadashi seems like a good bet. I mean, I could go back to Yachi but I think I've already heard everything she has to say on the matter so my only real option is to ask someone else. Yeah, that's what I'm doing tomorrow then. God this is so confusing! Damn it! Stupid soulmate bullshit...


	4. 324 days

~Tsukishima~

Thursday morning and, oh boy, I have something good to kick off the day. A question, to be specific, that I really need answering. And that question is what the hell am I going to do about the timer situation? Hopefully Tadashi's online, I'm not going to anyone else about this. If he's not I'll just have to ask him in school which is a big risk because if someone overheard me talking about this, well, it's safe to say my social life would be over. Not that I ever had one, people are fucking annoying. But it'd be nice to keep my 'reputation' in tact. I open Instagram. Oh thank god, he's online! This should be quick, five to ten minutes to be precise, so I'll just get it over with now.

Saltyshima: Hey

Freckled.crow: Good morning Tsukki  
Freckled.crow: Did you sleep well?

Saltyshima: Irrelevant question

Freckled.crow: Gomen Tsukki

Saltyshima: It's fine  
Saltyshima: I have something to ask anyway

Freckled.crow: You finally gonna ask me out? ;p

Saltyshima: Not even close

Freckled.crow: I was kidding

Saltyshima: I know

Freckled.crow: So what do you need to ask?

-Saltyshima has sent an attachment-  
(It's a screenshot of his and Yachi's conversation from 2 chapters ago I'm sorry it makes more sense on my wattpad)  
Saltyshima: Bottom three texts

Freckled.crow: She's just messing dw

Saltyshima: Yeah but it adds up on Monday it said 327 and yesterday it said 325

Freckled.crow: And I oop-

Saltyshima: Can you not?

Freckled.crow: Sorry Tsukki

Saltyshima: Stop apologising and help me  
Saltyshima: I need advice Yama

Freckled.crow: I don't think I'm going to be much help then

Saltyshima: Please?

Freckled.crow: All I can really suggest is asking him about it

Saltyshima: And what would that do?

Freckled.crow: Rule out the possibility that he knows about it

Saltyshima: Good point

Freckled.crow: I know

Saltyshima: Don't get cocky  
Saltyshima: I'll see you in school

Freckled.crow: Bye Tsukki

Well, a whole lot of help that was. Mind you I'm one step further in the right direction than I was yesterday. I'll ask him at practice tomorrow. I could ask today but if you think I'm tracking the little fucker down you're sorely mistaken. Oh boy, the bullshit get shittier as we go along.


	5. 323 days

~Tsukishima~

Practice ended about ten minutes ago. I would love to have left but I'm on cleanup duty. It would be a bareable task if I was doing this alone but, unfortunately, I'm stuck with my least favourite midget on the planet. Brilliant. Just brilliant. Mind you, I do still need to ask him about this timer number countdown thing. I was going to ask him in practice but the little shit wouldn't stop screaming so I couldn't get a word in. Now might be my only real chance to ask him about it, not that I want to but I need answers, I've already lost enough sleep over this crap.

"Hey, Shortie." I'm going to regret this, I can tell already and the conversation hasn't even properly started yet. Oh my god, abort mission. Abort mission! I've just got to hope that he didn't hear me. Oh who am I kidding? Of course he heard me, he's got hearing like a bat. It pisses me off.

Great, now he's looking at me all funny like he's expecting an answer. "Yeah? What's up?" That was a relatively calm response for someone who is genuinely not calm. What if he's caught on? What if he knows about the countdown? No, there's no way he knows if what Yachi said is true.

I sigh, here goes nothing. "I just have a question.." Here we go. The moment of truth. Watch him already know he had a timer. I mean, that's basically a given if we are soulmates because he'd be able to see mine. I wonder what my timer says... irrelevant! I don't need to know that right now! Stop daydreaming Kei and focus on the task at hand, good lord.

"Oh?" Hinata tilts his head slightly. Now, I'm not going to lie, it's a cute look for him but am I about to tell him that? Am I fuck. "What's your question?"

I opened my mouth to ask but the words seemed to get caught on my tongue. Why can't I just ask him? It's not that difficult. Sure, it's a bit of a pain asking someone if they know that they're going to die in less than a year but who cares? The worst that could happen is I'll scare him a little bit and I don't care if I scare him, not one bit. I probably should care, he is my soulmate after all. Ew. Just thinking about the annoying little shit being my soulmate makes me physically sick. Ooh, here we go my words are starting to come back to me. "Have you ever noticed that you're an annoying, unlovable little shit?" Fuck, that's not what I was trying to say! I'm not wrong but no! Bad Kei! Abort mission! I repeat, abort mission!

"Uwaah?" I look down to see small tears forming in Hinata's eyes. Oh shit, here we go. "You're so mean Tsukishima! That was just uncalled for!" He sniffles, turning on his heel and running out of the gym, leaving me to finish cleaning up this dump. "I hate you!"

"Hinata, wait! It was a joke!" It wasn't a joke at all, I was being dead serious, but for once I actually feel a little bit bad. I rush off after him, cornering him by the vending machine and grabbed his lower arm, stopping him from running away. "Jeez you overreact sometimes."/

He starts struggling violently; I assume he's trying to get his arm free. "I'm not overreacting! You're just being mean!" A few small tears roll down his cheeks. Now I feel really bad. "I'm not unlovable! Just because you don't like guys doesn't give you the right to judge that!"

Ok since when the fuck was I not into guys? The bisexual disaster has entered the chat. Also, this kid's seriously starting to piss me off. If I kiss him, do you recon he'll be shocked into shutting up. It's worth a try. I put my free hand on the back of his head and pull him forward, smashing our lips together for a couple of seconds before pulling away. "I said I was sorry, now shut up and accept the apology."

~Hinata~

"I said I was sorry, now shut up and accept the apology." The words echo over and over again in my head. What just happened? Did he seriously just kiss me? But I thought he was straight. What the hell? I stand there, trying to get any words out but end up just stuttering. Tsukishima smirks down at me, letting go of my arm. "Good boy." He turns on his heels and walks away, leaving me a blushing, stuttering, tomato-faced mess.

Did he seriously mean that kiss or was he just doing it to shut me up? Probably the second option knowing Tsukishima. Oh my god, what if he caught on that I like him? Am I really that obvious? Man, and here I thought I was doing a good job at acting natural. God damn it Tsukishima, why do you do these things to me?


	6. 322 days

~Hinata~

Heck. My. Life. We totally have our biology exam at the end of this week and guess who completely forgot about it and is going to fail. I'm hecked, properly hecked. Biology's my weakest subject as it is and to forget about it like this? Sensei's going to kill me if I fail another test. Oh my god, what do I do? I know, Yachi will help me! She helped me study last time, I'm sure she'll help me again! Where would she be right now? Would she be at home? Is it appropriate for me to just rock up at her house at nine am on a Saturday? Why am I even debating this when I can just text her? I grab my phone and open Snapchat, I have some unopened snaps anyway so it's convenient.

Me: You on? UwU

Yachannn \^w^/: Mhm  
Yachannn \^w^/: Good morning Sho

Me: Good morning Yachi

Yachannn \^w^/: Something up? You're not usually online this early

Me: Imma just cut straight to the chase

Yachannn \^w^/: Oki uwu

Me: Can you help me study? Pleaseeeeeee

Yachannn \^w^/:Aww Sho I'm sorry I'd love to help you out but I'm at my grandparent's all weekend

Me: But Yacchan I'm going to fail my test ;-;

Yachannn \^w^/: Maybe someone else can help you?

Me: But everyone else is stupid

Yachannn \^w^/: Idk man  
Yachannn \^w^/: Tsukishima is pretty smart

Oh my god no. Absolutely not. I know what she's doing and I'm not putting up with it today, not after what happened yesterday at least. Sure, I really liked it when he kissed me like that but now our awkward 'friendship', if you can even call it that, even more awkward.

Me: Absolutely not

Yachannn \^w^/: Why not?

Me: Because it's Tsukishima  
Me: He's a meanie

Yachannn \^w^/: But he's also hella smart

Me: Idc

Yachannn \^w^/: I thought you said you needed to pass

Me: Yeah but it's Tsukishima

Yachannn \^w^/: Which roughly translates to your crush

Me: Shut up

Yachannn \^w^/: Never ;)

Me: Fine I'll ask him but he probably won't reply

Yachannn \^w^/: That's the spirit  
Yachannn \^w^/: Go get your man

Me: I hate you

Yachannn \^w^/: You love me really

Me: No I love Tsukishima

Yachannn \^w^/: You admit it

Me: Heck you

Guess who's going to regret their entire existence in about five minute. If you said me then you guessed right. I don't know how Yachi managed to convince me to ask him but, looking over the texts, she didn't have to try very hard. I'm not sure if I'm weak to Yachi's crazy ideas or weak to the though of studying with Tsukishima. For the sake of my self control, I want it to be the first option but deep down I know it's the second. Ok, I'm typing the text now. Does Tsukishima even check his snapchat? He better, I'm not opening a whole other app to ask him to help me study.

Me: Hi

Kei Tsukishima: What do you want?

Me: Can you help me study?

Kei Tsukishima: No

Me: Why not?

Kei Tsukishima: Because you could ask Yachi

Me: Way ahead of you she's at her grandparent's

Kei Tsukishima: Yamaguchi?

Me: He'd just invite you anyway

Kei Tsukishima: Kageyama?

Me: Arguably dumber than me

Kei Tsukishima: Arguably not true he's two classes higher than you

Me:Not important  
Me: Can you help me? Please?

Kei Tsukishima: My answer is still no

Me: Meanie

Kei Tsukishima: Whatever you probably just want to be alone with me after yesterday

Me: Ew no I have standards

Kei Tsukishima: Whatever you say Shrimpy

Me: Ughhhh how do I convince you to help me?

Kei Tsukishima: Buy me coffee

Me: What?

Kei Tsukishima: Costa tomorrow 12pm sharp  
Kei Tsukishima: I'll bring the textbooks and you'll buy the coffee  
Kei Tsukishima: You in or you out?

Me: I'm in

Kei Tsukishima: It's a date

Me: Eh?!

Kei Tsukishima: A study date dumbass  
Kei Tsukishima: I'll see you there

Me: Right back at you

Well that went down surprisingly well. I now have a date with Tsukishima tomorrow. Well, it's a study date but calling it a date makes my heart go all gwaaaaah so I'm going to keep calling it that. Tomorrow's going to be so great! Now I just need to get some cash together, I'm not about to drop my end of the bargain even if I am completely broke. This is going to be so fun!


	7. 321 days

~Tsukishima~

It's currently half past twelve on a Sunday afternoon. If this was any other Sunday I'd probably still be in bed doing shit but not today. Want to know why? Because I was a dumbass and decided it was a good idea to let Hinata, my quote on quote soulmate who I kissed for no said reason and probably freaked him out completely, convince me to help him study. How fun. Mind you, I did get free coffee out of it which is a bonus because I really needed it this morning. I was very tempted to tell Hinata not to get coffee because he's hyper enough without caffeine and I don't need the headache right now but that's not a great thing to say when he's paying. He's gone hyper, I can see it in the stupid grin on his face, it's much wider than usual and he's bouncing up and down in his chair. This kid...

"Oi Shrimpy." At this point I've had enough. I tried to let him have his little hyper moment but it's seriously pissing me off. I just want to get this over with so I can go home and crash out again. "Can you shut up and focus? You asked me to help you study, not babysit your hyper ass."

I'm not exactly trying to sound intimidating but the look on Hinata's face says otherwise. "Y-yes! S-sorry!" He stammers, sitting still again, thank god, and looking down at his hands. What's wrong with him? Usually he'd argue with me about the whole babysitting statement but apparently not today. Is he sick? Well, he's definitely sick in the head but that's not what I'm talking about. Forget Costa, we should be studying at the damn hospital. Not that I care or anything.

I need to change the subject before I think too much into the way he's acting. "Anyway... osmosis. That's one of the things on your test, right?" Hinata nods slowly, still looking down. Jeez he's being so weird. "Ok, so let's start easy. Osmosis is the movement of water from a low to a high concentration." I cut a few words out of the definition in the textbook because there's no way Hinata would understand if I left them in. "You got that?"

He doesn't say anything, just looks at me with that stupid, confused expression that he loves to do so much. I swear he does it to annoy me, it pisses me off how cute he looks. "Sorry sorry... can you repeat that?"

I sigh, rolling my eyes. "You weren't even listening to me, were you?" He doesn't respond properly, just bites his lip and looks off to the left somewhere. Yup, there's definitely something up with him. "Is something distracting you? You're clearly not focused." I basically spit the words out. I do have the right to do so though, he seriously dragged me out here to help him study and he's not even focusing.

He shakes his head. Finally! A proper god damn answer! "It's nothing much..." His voice is quiet for once. That's very out of character for Mr always loud and hyper. "Just... I mean, I guess you're the problem..."

I raise my eyebrows. "Ok. If I'm the problem then I'll leave." I stand up, collecting my textbooks and getting ready to go. "I never wanted to be here anyway but thanks for the free coffee, I guess."

"Wait!" Hinata's voice stops me in my tracks. I don't know why but he actually sounds in control of himself for the first time today, it's freaking me out a little bit to be honest. Suddenly, he stands up and steps in front of me. I assume he's trying to stop me walking off which is stupid, if I wanted to keep going then I could easily just push him out of the way and be done with it. But I won't. I'm intrigued as to how he's going to talk his way out of this one. "It's..." His face has gone redder. My suspicions were correct, he has a fever. "It's a good kind of problem..."

I scoff, covering my my mouth with my hand. "A good kind of problem? Don't be stupid Shrimpy. A problem is a problem, they're not good so don't try and talk your way out of this using that bullshit. Thanks in advance."

"It is a good kind of problem!" Much to my dismay, he's being loud again. Honestly, he needs to learn to be quiet. There are other people here and he's disturbing them. "What? Isn't being in love with you a good thing? Because I sure as hell think it is!"

My expression changes from amused to shocked. I drop my hands to my sides, looking down at him with raised eyebrows. "Excuse me, what?" Of all the things, I wasn't expecting that to be his problem. It's now Hinata's turn to cover his mouth, mumbling something about saying too much. I shake my head. "Wow, you have terrible taste."

"I don't-" He cuts himself off, sighing and turning away. "Whatever... thanks for helping me study today..." He walks off, leaving me by myself. What the hell? Was he joking? I hope he was joking, I don't know how to reject me soulmate, that doesn't seem right. Or maybe I should give him a chance, what's the worst that could happen?


	8. 320 days

~Tsukishima~

It's a Monday afternoon. School ended about half an hour ago. I've only been home for five minutes but my mind is already racing. I know it's out of character for me but I can't stop thinking about Hinata's confession. Can you call it a confession? It's more like a classic case of blurting out something he really didn't mean to say. Well, whatever you call it, I still need to give him an answer and that's the problem. I don't know what to say at all. There's only one thing I know for sure and that's that I don't feel the same way so, if the circumstances were different, that'd be my answer. However, this is where it gets annoying, he is my quote on quote soulmate. The world clearly wants us to be together so why am I fighting the world? If we're meant to be together, why not give it a try and see what happens? Yeah, that's what I'll do. I'll see what happens if I say yes. Besides, I might've developed feelings after all and just not know about it. It's not like I've always been 100% in touch with my emotions, it is possible.

Saltyshima: Hey Hinata

Littlered10: Oh hey Tsukishima  
Littlered10: Listen I want to apologise for yesterday

Saltyshima: Why? You changed your mind on your feelings?

Littlered10: What no not at all  
Littlered10: I meant what I said

Ok, so far so good, it wasn't just the caffeine talking. Don't judge my thoughts. Caffeine does weird things to people. I type my response, it's simple and it gets my point across but... do I really want to send it? Once I've done it there's not going back. No. I need to stop doubting myself. I'm sending this message and that's that.

Saltyshima: Well that's good because I messaged you to ask you on a date

~Hinata~

Excuse me what now? Damn, I wasn't expecting this reaction at all. I was expecting him to make fun of me, maybe even hurt me for it but apparently not. Ugh now my face is all red and my heart is going crazy. I hate this feeling so much. I don't know how to respond to this or even if I can.

Littlered10: Wait what?

Saltyshima: I said that's good because I messaged you to ask you on a date

Littlered10: I know I can read

Saltyshima: Really?

Littlered10: Yup  
Littlered10: I'm just surprised that's all

Saltyshima: Oh?

Littlered10: I thought you had standards

Saltyshima: I do

Littlered10: So why me?

Saltyshima: Shut up and answer me  
Saltyshima: Do you want to go or not?

Littlered10: Of course I do

Saltyshima: Great  
Saltyshima: Meet me at the park after school on Wednesday

Littlered10: But practice-

Saltyshima: After practice dumbass

Littlered10: I'll be there

Saltyshima: It's a date  
Saltyshima: Not a study one this time

Oh my god my heart. Well, one thing's for sure, I'm not going in my school uniform. I want to look nice so I'll run home and get changed quickly. Wait no, I'm terrible when it comes to looking good. Maybe Yachi will help me? Yeah, Yachi will help me! I'll ask her tomorrow if she can help me pick out an outfit. I hope Wednesday goes well...


	9. 319 days

~Hinata~

Good news for me, Yachi agreed to help me pick out an outfit for tomorrow, thank god. If she didn't agree I'd definitely turn up looking like a clown because who needs good fashion sense, right? Apparently I do but, unfortunately, I don't have one. Kind of sucks but I've never needed one before. I usually just sit around the house in my pyjamas. When I go out, nine times out of ten it's to practice with Kageyama and he doesn't care what I wear so why bother stressing?

"Sho!" I nearly jump out of my skin. Yachi's voice snaps me straight out of my thoughts. "Your clothes are all... well, they're not exactly easy to match with one another." Thanks Yachi. If you want to say old or ugly or whatever you were going to say then just say it, I won't get offended. "But I did get you an outfit together!" She thrusts a pair of tight-ish jeans and a plain white t-shirt into my hands.

I examine it, a puzzled look on my face. "What's so special about this?" I swear I could've picked this out myself. Mind you, Yachi does have more of an idea of what she's doing than I do.

She smiles at me, it looks normal but there is a sly undertone. Yup, she definitely has a plan. "Tight clothing is great for first dates. It really shows you off and that's a must if you want them to want you." She folds her arms, looking at me with raised eyebrows. "And those jeans will show off your legs just fine."

"...my legs? What's so special about my legs?" I tilt my head slighty, completely confused. All this fashion and 'show off your body' talk really goes right over my head, I just don't get it.

Yachi rolls her eyes, like I'm being stupid or something. I'm not stupid, just confused, and you of all people shouldn't be judging me, best friend. "You're a volleyball player Shoyo." She says it bluntly, as if I'm supposed to understand what that has to do with anything. "You have great legs thanks to all that jumping, most players do."

Ah. Right. That makes more sense now. "Ok then..." I nod slowly, making my way towards the bathroom. "I'll go put it on and you can give me your opinions when I get back." I lock myself in the bathroom and get changed. My insecurities are already going wild and I haven't even looked at myself in the mirror yet. Good start. "Ok, I'm done."

"Let's see then!" Well she sounds excited, for better or for worse. I unlock the door and timidly walk back into the room. I feel like an absolute idiot but Yachi's face says otherwise. Maybe I actually look good? Probably not. "Oh my god Sho! You look amazing! Come on, you have to see yourself!" She suddenly grabs my wrist and drags me across the room, letting me go when we get to the mirror.

That's when I saw myself for the first time. Not going to lie, I do look decently alright but I do have one question that I'm just itching to ask. "Ok, I'll give you credit on the outfit. I do look good." We high five each other. "But what's with the short sleeve t-shirt? It's cold out there, you know."

She rolls her eyes, as if she's disappointed in me. "Oh my god, do you not know anything about dates?" I shake my head. Why would I know anything about dates? I've been single all my life, get it through your head. "You're the smaller one. The smaller one always goes out without a jacket so they can quote on quote borrow their boyfriend's hoodie."

"He's not my boyfriend Yachi."

"Not yet he isn't." She winks, like she knows how this is going to go. Hopefully well, I really want him to like me like that. "Emphasis on the yet."


	10. 318 days

~Tsukishima~

Where the fuck is the midget? He's twenty minutes late and it's really starting to piss me off. He was the one who confessed so he better not stand me up. Oh my god, imagine getting stood up by Hinata of all people; just the thought of it makes me cringe. The song ends and a new one starts playing, nine in the afternoon by panic at the disco, which makes it a little better. It's honestly one of the only songs on my playlist I can stand at the moment.

'Back to the street where we began...'

The world around me fades away as I get lost in the music, lost in the lyrics in particular. It almost makes me forget about Hinata and how late he is, the key word being almost.

'Feeling as good as lovers can, you know...'

"Tsukishima!" The familiar, annoying voice pierces through the music. I roll my eyes and shut down spotify, tugging my headphones down so they hang around my neck. What a shame. The song had barely even started and I already had to shut it down. Still, I'm glad that he showed up. Hinata looks up at me with what I can only assume is a sorry expression. It annoys me but it does suit him, makes him look cute. Scratch that, his entire outfit makes him look cute. Especially those jeans, does he even realise how tight they are? He probably did that on purpose, the little shit, and he probably did it to make me feel... however the hell it's making me feel. I don't know. Feelings are bullshit.

I eventually snap out of my thoughts, a glare forming on my face. "Took you long enough, shrimp." I snap, trying to mask whatever thoughts I was just having in case Hinata noticed anything was up. I have a reputation and I'm not willing to lose it, especially not because of a pathetic shrimp like him. He is a cute pathetic shrimp though... wait what?! Brain no! Ew! Stop thinking!

Hinata bows his head, now looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry Tsukishima... I took longer getting ready than I expected..." He genuinely sounds sorry, it's a weird change but welcome, I can't be arsed dealing with his usual stubbornness.

"Don't worry about it. At least you're here now." As you can see, I'm trying my best to be nice to him. I think that's what people do on dates, be nice to each other. I don't know, I've never been on an actual date before, I've never bothered with feelings before now - ain't nobody got time for that. Anyway, I pat the small boy's head, leaving my hand there for a few seconds. Honestly, I wasn't expecting his hair to be this soft and, well, fluffy. I drop my hand to my side again when I realise Hinata's face has gone redder. "Hey! No getting ill on me now!" I know he's not ill, I'm not stupid, it's a blush and I'm willing to take the piss out of it.

"I-I'm not ill, idiot!" Well would you look at that? He's stammering, how cute. "It's called a blush, ever heard of one?"

I roll my eyes. "Of course I've heard of a blush, dumbass, I was just messing with you but apparently you're too stupid to understand what sarcasm is." I scoff, covering my mouth and laughing into my hand.

His face turns redder still but I can't tell if it's embarrassment, anger or both. "Don't call me a dumbass! Stingyshima!" Folding his arms, he looks away from me. I don't know why but it makes my heart wrench. Good job Tsukishima, you pissed him off.

"Hey... Hina..." I crouch down a little so I'm at his level and plaster on a weak smile. "Don't be like that..." I rest a hand on his shoulder, trying to make it look like I'm sorry when I'm really not. Well I say that, I certainly feel sorry but that can't be right. This is shrimpy we're talking about, he deserves no sympathy, especially not from me, I have other, better, things to worry about.

~Hinata~

What is wrong with me? Even when he teases me, I still can't help but forgive him even when I know he's saying what he says to tease me and I'm playing right into his hands. I can't help it though, it's not my fault, that's just what love does to someone. Love... it's a strong word, that's for sure, and it sure as hell stings when the one you love doesn't return your feelings. At least, he doesn't at the moment, if it goes right I'll convince him, I'm sure I will.

I look over my shoulder at him, my quote on quote signature smile back on my face. "It's ok, I forgive you! Now come on, there's so much to do before it gets dark!" Grabbing his hand and holding it tightly like a couple would do (I can only dream) I start running to wherever my legs take me. The park is big and Tsukishima makes no effort to fight against me as I drag him along which is nice, easier for me anyway.

The first thing I see that catches my eye is a tree, a very tall tree that looks perfect for climbing. An idea clicks in my mind and, oh boy, do I like this idea. "Hey Tsukishima?" I look back up at him with a sweet smile, hopefully convincing him to agree. "You want to race? First one to reach that top branch is the winner!"

He raises his eyebrows. "Oh? I would agree but, knowing you, there's going to be some kind of catch." He leans down and looks me in my eyes, making my face flush red but I have to be calm about it. "Care to explain what you have in mind?"

It takes me a while to actually get my words out, they seem to be caught in my throat and it sucks. I'm usually not like this, all tongue tied. "W-well... let's make it a forfeit bet then..." Finally, I managed to say something. "The loser has to take one order from the winner, and one only. Not that you're going to win but think about it. Don't waste it because I know I won't!"

He chuckles and ruffles my hair, sending shivers down my spine. God damn it, why is he doing that? It's like he wants to make me flustered. "Game on, shrimpy." Oh wow, he actually agreed. Well that's a very pleasant surprise. I thought for sure that he'd say no and make fun of me so this is nice.

"Alright! Game on!" I run off, ignoring Tsukishima's respond and assuming that he's running to, quickly reaching the first branch of the tree. Beginning to quickly climb up the tree, I feel the wind brush against my skin as I get higher and higher. It's a great feeling even though one wrong move could send me straight back to the ground but who cares? Tsukishima would take care of me after he finishes laughing which would make it all worth it! I reached the top branch and whooped, looking down and finding out Tsukishima was only halfway up the tree. "Ha! I win!" I stick my tongue out at him. "Have fun doing what I say!"

"Whatever shrimp." He rolls his eyes, clearly annoyed that I beat him but what was he expecting? Not to toot my own horn but I'm arguably the fastest one on the team. Even Kageyama said he's jealous of me speed so hah! He didn't stand a chance from the start!

We climb down from the tree and I immediately take his hand again. He doesn't pull away which is surprising but he was the one who asked me out today so...whatever, I probably shouldn't think over it too much.

\----------Time Skip----------

So our little date ended, much to my despair. I'd prefer tonight to last forever but I know that's not how time works. On the bright side, I have gained a hoodie. Yachi's plan went well, he noticed me shivering and lent me his hoodie. Honestly, I'm loving it. It's so oversized, the sleeves are like twice the size of my arm, and it smells like him which is a double bonus. Wait, did I seriously just say that it smelling like him is a bonus? I mean, I'm not wrong but...shut up! I'm not a stalker! Brain stop thinking!

He actually agreed to walk me home. Well, I say agreed but I never really asked him to, he just kind of walked me home and I wasn't about to complain. I was about to ask why he even asked me out today and if he even liked me but my questions got answered when Tsukishima leaned down and kissed my cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow Hinata." He left me at my door, flustered and going into a slight gay panic. Did that actually just happen?


	11. 317 days

~Tsukishima~

Well yesterday happened and, much to my surprise, I didn't hate it. Yes I did just say that. I didn't mind going on a date with Hinata, so what? It's not like it's weird or anything, you're supposed to enjoy going on dates with people. I mean, maybe not when you don't like the person but still, my point stands and it was a better waste of time than... whatever the fuck I would've been doing if I stayed at home instead. Probably either studying, reading or trying to reach that damn next level on whatever game I feel like.

Maybe Hinata would come over and play games with me one day. Wait what? Ew, you nerd, did you seriously just ask yourself that? Oh yes what a great idea for a second quote on quote date, just chilling and playing video games like fucking friends do. If you want to be romantic with someone, don't do friendly shit. Honestly Kei, how dumb are you? I also just said that I want him in my house which is... well I think it's incorrect but I honestly don't know anymore. Damn it Hinata! Why do you do these things to my head, you little shit!

Every time I try and divert my train of thought, he jumps straight back into my head. I should go out for a walk and clear my mind but it's freezing and I lent my damn hoodie to Hinata. Oh but boy did he look cute in that hoodie. If you ask me, it makes it worth freezing to death. I should've taken a picture. Oh the things I would've done with that pictu-STOP THINKING! Holy fuck what is wrong with me today? That is not a normal way of thinking about someone.

Wait. Hold up. Hear me out, hear me the fuck out!...Am I catching feelings? No, I am absolutely not catching feelings!...but am I? I mean, think about it for a second. It would explain all these quote on quote weird thoughts I've been having about the little fucker. It would also explain why I thought he looked cute in my hoodie or just plain cute in general. Oh, and don't forget about it basically being the only logical reason for me asking him on a date. Yup, I've definitely caught feelings.

Ok now the question is what the fuck I'm supposed to do about it. I mean, I've never been that good with emotions and shit so this is definitely way outside my comfort zone. How am I supposed to deal with this? Do I ask him on another date? Will he catch on? Don't be stupid, it's Hinata he's dense as fuck. I'm going to have to confess but how the hell do I even go about it? Love letter? Nah, too cliche and cringe for my style. He'd definitely think it was fake. Meet on the roof or any other secluded place in the school? Absolutely not, he'd probably just think I'm going to beat the ever loving shit out of him. I don't think he's a paranoid person but... shut up! I have to prepare for the worst.

Damn it what do I do? I'm fresh out of ideas, not that I had many ideas in the first place. Maybe I could ask Yachi, she had some... well she gave me advice, I'm not going to comment on what I thought of it but advice is advice. If she helped me once then she'll help me again. Yes, I'll ask her tomorrow after practice. Finally, some kind of plan for figuring this shit out.


	12. 316 days

~Tsukishima~

I actually can't believe that I'm doing this. If you told past me a couple of months ago that I'd end up falling in love with Hinata I'd call you crazy and call the local asylum and yet here I am, only a few months later, about to ask one of his best friends how I should confess to him. Yup, I've definitely lost my mind. Well, lucky for me I'm early for practice so there's no chance of anyone overhearing this and telling him. I don't need Hinata finding out from anyone who isn't me. He'd freak out and either think it was all a joke from me or think that the person who told him was trying to make him look stupid. In other words it really wouldn't go down well.

Oh shit, there's Yachi. She's not holding anything thank god. If I scared her and she dropped it it'd be really fucking annoying. "Yachi." I call out to her, walking over. She doesn't jump which is surprise. She just turns to face me with... well you know that look that the villains have in movies when they're all like 'I was expecting you'? It's exactly like that. Do you reckon she was expecting me? Oh hell no, let's not go down that rabbit hole. This isn't a movie, this is reality.

"I know what you're here to ask." Well shit, looks like I was wrong. Or is she bluffing? She's probably bluffing and I'll put money on the fact that someone put her up to it. Who did it, I don't know but someone definitely did. "You're here to ask about Hinata, right?" Holy fuck how does she know? HOW DOES SHE KNOW?! I doubt this is a bluff because she just hit my reason for being here right on the god damn nose!

I fold my arms. "Yeah, I am. How did you know?" My voice is way too aggressive for my liking. I usually stick to passive aggression and sarcasm, especially in a situation like this. I mean, let's be honest, if I end up scaring Yachi then I'm fucked on the help front.

She clicks her tongue, examining her nails. She's acting like one of those Netflix drama girls, it's throwing me off. This is really out of character for her. Just for the record, I totally don't watch Netflix dramas it's just that Yamaguchi showed me a couple and she reminds me of one of them. "I have my sources." That's really weird. Like, super weird. Like, stalker level of weird.

I try to shake off the uneasiness. "Whatever, just...do you have any advice?" I can't believe I'm asking this. Pride? What's that? Sounds like something I used to have until about two minutes ago.

"What kind of advice?" A smirk crawls across her face. It really pisses me off, smirking is my thing stop stealing it you little shit. Thanks in advance.

Well, this is it. I'm about to swallow my pride once and for all. Here we go gamers, let's get this god damn break. Did I just think that unironically? I think the fuck I did. What are you going to do about it? Yeah, that's what I fucking thought. I'm distracting myself now. Just ask the question Kei, jeez. "Can you help me ask Hinata out?" My voice gets gradually quieter as I speak but can you really blame me? This is so embarrassing and... well it's pathetic really. How did I sink this fucking low?

She folded her arms and clicked her tongue again. Honestly Yachi, stop clicking your tongue before the sound of it kills me. "Well, there's only one way that you'll have the balls to do." Well excuse you, I've got more balls then you ever could dream of having. "Text him."

"...Excuse me what now?" Do you have any idea how annoying texting someone this shit can be? I'll rewrite the message at least ten times and I will bet money on that figure being correct.

Her smirk gets wider. "You heard me."

I can't fucking believe this. For one, why didn't I think of this for myself? For two, why is she looking so damn smug about this? It's like she knew this was going to happen all along. I sigh. "Fine, I'll do it. Now wipe that smirk off your face before I wipe it off myself."

She holds her hand out and I shake it. "Pleasure doing business with you Tsukishima." What business? Last time I checked, no deals were made and no money was exchanged. Well, one exchange was made. I exchanged my pride for the advice that I needed. Even though it hurts, what's done is done and I have no regrets. I'll text him tomorrow, that gives me a whole night to figure out what I'm going to say.

"The pleasure's all mine." I spit out the words, turning on my heel and walking away. This is going to be interesting.


	13. 315 days

~Hinata~

Saturday evenings truly are a blessing. Just me, my laptop and some snacks. I'm currently scrolling through Netflix, trying to find a film to watch tonight. Hold on, I didn't know they had Shrek on here! I've lost count of the number of times I've seen that film but who cares? Not me! If you ask me, Shrek and a big bowl of popcorn sounds like the most perfect way to end off a Saturday. Well, practising would be better but it's raining so that's not an option so I'll have to make do with this which I'm fine with.

I'm about to put the film on when my phone buzzes. Who could be texting me at this time? Well, it's not actually that late but no one texts me on Saturdays, or most days actually my notifications are pretty dry. I open the text and let out a gasp. It's Tsukishima! Tsukishima is texting me! Oh my god! My heart can't handle this!

Saltyshima: Hey shrimp just a quick message nothing special involved this time don't worry. I was just wondering if you're free tomorrow and if you want to grab a coffee or something??

Wait what?! This is crazy! I was surprised when he asked me out the first time but I chalked it up to pity. But twice?! Something's definitely going on here and it's way more than just feeling sorry for me. Wait... don't tell me he actually likes me. It's crazy but it a possibility, and very welcome possibility at that. What do I say? I mean, I'm obviously going to say yes but the question is how do I say it? I'm not good with stuff like this! I wish Yachi was here...

Littlered10: Are you kidding?? Of course I'm free!

Saltyshima: Great I'll meet you at yours at like two

Littlered10: Need all that time to look good? ;p

Saltyshima: It doesn't take that much effort

Littlered10: Not even for me?

Saltyshima: Not even close

Littlered10: :c

Saltyshima: We're not a couple yet don't get your hopes up

Littlered10: Y E T

Saltyshima: Stfu I'll see you tomorrow

Littlered10: It's a date

Saltyshima: That's my line dumbass

~Tsukishima~

Did I seriously just get left on read by Hinata of all people? Ew. That's disgraceful. I should probably stop thinking like that seeing as by the end of tomorrow he'll be my boyfriend. Yes, I did just say he will because I know he'll accept my quote on quote confession, he was the one who confessed first after all. I'll have to pay tomorrow though, it gives me an excuse to not let him have any damn caffeine. I'll just get him a hot chocolate or something and tell him it's coffee, I'm sure the dumbass won't notice. This is going to be... interesting.


	14. 314 days

~Tsukishima~

So, today's the day of our quote on quote second date. Wait a minute, why in the ever loving shit am I saying quote on quote? Like it or not, this is a date and the last one was to and you do like it so stop trying to convince yourself that you're not. Anyway, back into reality we go brain, I'm waiting for Hinata to show up. How rude of him to be late, honestly shrimpy get your tardiness under control before I fucking punish you for it... wait no I take that back that's not what I meant shut the fuck up.

You know what would be a good idea, ordering before he gets here. That way I can make sure he doesn't get anything with caffeine in it. Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. I walk up to the counter and, after waiting in line because I'm not fucking rude, I order. "Hi, can I get an americano and a hot chocolate for my friend?"

~Hinata~

I can't believe I was late! Tsukishima's going to be so annoyed with me! I mean, it wasn't my fault entirely. Sure, I accidentally set my alarm for ten pm instead of ten am but that's totally not my fault that I ended up oversleeping by an hour! Oh my god I must look like such a mess right now, my hair's all messy because it wouldn't cooperate with me despite me brushing it repeatedly and I literally just threw on some jeans and a tshirt, oh, and Tsukishima's hoodie. Don't judge me, ok? It's super comfy, I couldn't just not wear it.

I look around the small cafe, looking for a familiar blonde tree. I spot him sat at a table for two by the window, how romantic... at least I think that's romantic. I'm not entirely sure to be honest with you. I walk over to him and bow my head. "I'm sorry I'm late!"

He rolls his eyes and motions to the spare seat, across from him. "It's whatever, stop shouting and sit down, you're disturbing people." Passive aggressive as always Tsukishima, I see. Well, I suppose I can live with that but only because... well I guess it's because I love you but there could be some deeper meaning to it, I'm not sure.

I slide into the seat and eye up the cup in front of me. "Hey Tsukki, what is this?" I signal towards the drink. It can't just be me who gets anxious when someone orders for you and you don't know what it is. I mean, what if he's trying to poison me? It's highly unlikely but still.

He shrugs. "Just coffee, same as last week. Don't worry, I'm not trying to kill you, you fucking dumbass." Oh good, he saw straight through my worries. Apparently Tsukki can read my like a book as well. I really need to get better at hiding things, I don't want to go through life with everyone knowing exactly what I'm thinking all the time just from the look on my face.

~Tsukishima~

"H-Hey! I'm not a dumbass!" Oh but you are, you're just too much of a dumbass to notice it. Should I say that? Probably not, apparently you're not supposed to be mean to your boyfriend, or future boyfriend in my case. Give it another half an hour when I've worked up the confidence to ask him. Oh but I've thought of the perfect comeback for that and it involves a very lowkey confession. Would he even understand though? I don't know but it's worth a try, even if he is a little stupid.

"You're right." I shrug. "I shouldn't call you a dumbass, because you're not just any old dumbass, are you Hinata?" He looks ready to literally explode and honestly I'm living for it. I smirk. "If you'd like to be my dumbass, I suppose I could call you that instead." For the first time in my life, I think, I wink. It feels gross, I feel like Oikawa and it's pissing me off but what's done is done, I can't take it back.

I watch his face slowly go bright red, is he embarrassed? Shit, I hope I didn't embarrass him. That is potentially the only time I'll ever say something like that but it's true. "I-I...uh..." He's going to reject me, isn't me. I can almost taste the rejection. "Tsuskishima I..." Suddenly, he smiled wide which takes me aback. "Yes! I'd love to be your dumbass!"

My heart is pounding in my chest. I don't know why I'm surprised, he literally accidentally told me he loves me like last week but something inside me was still worried. "Well, it's settled then." Why the fuck did I say that? You don't say that! You fucking idiot! "You're all mine now." Well I'm coming out with some right bangers today, aren't I? You're all mine now? Shut the fuck up you absolute possessive stalker twat.

"I'm fine with that." He shrugs. I can see the blush beginning to die down which is a shame because it really suits him, it's cute. Wait, what am I saying? This isn't like me. Is it normal to think that you're future... wait no he is actually my boyfriend now so I guess it is normal. I don't know, I'm no good with this relationship bullshit. "But does that mean I can call you mine to?"

"Yes Hinata. Yes it does."


	15. 313 days

~Hinata~

I asked Tsukki to meet me behind the gym at lunch, it's not shady I swear! I just have something I need to ask him and behind the gym seemed like the most secluded spot, especially for something like this. It's nothing big, I just want to know if we're telling the team about our relationship or not. That's why we need to go somewhere private, in case he doesn't want anyone to know. Look at me being all thoughtful about him, maybe that's what being in a relationship does.

Anyway, I'm just waiting for him at the moment. He's probably going to be late, Yamaguchi might be holding him up. Either that or he never got the text or hasn't checked his phone yet. Should I send him another text? Wait no, that's a horrible idea, I don't want him to think I'm clingy. But one more text won't hurt, right? Yes it will hurt! He might get annoyed at me and, if worst comes to worst, break up with me and we can't have that!

"Yo." Oh thank god, I'd recognise that voice anywhere, he's here. "Sorry I'm late, I guess. Our class got let out late because some oaf was pissing about and sensei decided that we all needed to be punished for it." He rolls his eyes, I know it's only been a day but boy have I missed those little eyerolls. "This school is turning fascist, I tell you."

I can't help but giggle, it's hard to take him serious when he says stuff like that. Seriously, I've never heard anyone unironically say the word oaf. He gives me a slightly disappointed look but it doesn't stop me laughing. "Sorry Tsukki but I can't take you serious when you say things like that."

He sighs. "For the love of god Shoyo, can you call me Kei?"

"I mean I could.." I bite my lip and look down at the floor. "It just doesn't feel right, you know?.. I've been calling you Tsukishima for so long, it's hard to break that habit.." I need a better excuse, if I tell him that I keep forgetting to call him that he'll make fun of me. "Yamaguchi doesn't call you Kei, why am I any different? He's your best friend."

"Yeah, he's my best friend." I feel a blush grow on my face when he gently touches my cheek, forcing me to look at him but I can't say I'm complaining. "But you're my boyfriend, doesn't that make you different from him?"

I nod, a little shakily, my knees feeling slightly weak. "Yeah, I guess it does, Kei.." Please let go of my cheek right now before my legs give way. Like you're making me feel weak, stop it. I don't know if I love this feeling or if I hate it. You know what I can do? Change the subject. "Uhh anyway... I just wanted to ask if we're going to tell the team about... well about us."

He lets go of my cheek, thank god, and drops his hand back to his side. It's not like I didn't like his touch, I'm just not sure about how it made me feel. "Hmm.." He's deep in thought, this is going to be a long answer but that's ok because I can hear his voice more. "Well, it would be nice to tell them but there is the possibility that they'll frown upon it because it fucks with the balance of the team, or some shit like that. So no, we should keep it between us for now."

"Oh... ok..." I have to admit, I'm slightly disheartened by his choice as I was looking forward to seeing everyone's happy reactions to the news, but I did ask him what we should do so I guess I have to just go with it. Besides, if he's not ready to tell them then I should keep it a secret, I don't want to make him uncomfortable.

"Aww don't be like that, we can tell them soon." He lifts my chin and quickly pecks my lips, making me go all flustered and weak in the knees again. I really need to get that under control and I have to do it fast. "I'll see you after class, ok? I'm walking you home tonight. Later." He turns on his heel and walks off again. Wait, since when was he walking me home?!?! Oh my god, what if he comes inside? I haven't come out to my family yet! You know what, I can worry about this when it happens, for now I'm going to ride the high of that kiss like the little freak I am.


	16. 312 days

~Hinata~

I know a lot of people hate morning practice because, you know, it's in the morning but personally I love it. Why? Because there is no better way to start a morning than seeing your boyfriend and playing some volleyball, no cap! Like that is the pinnacle of a good morning. So yeah, needless to say I am very happy this morning. I may be late but that's ok, if Daichi gets mad at me, Kei will protect me! Either that or he'll just laugh at me. I'm sure he won't laugh at me, that's mean and boyfriends aren't supposed to be mean. Mind you, it is Kei, being a meanie pants is just what he does, it's basically his only personality trait. Wait no! Shoyo that is mean! You can't be like that about your boyfriend! Ugh, it's feels weird not insulting him but I'm sure I'll get used to it as time goes on!

I should probably hurry up and get into the gym before I'm literally slaughtered. I open the gym door and all eyes are immediately on me. "Hey guys.." I laugh nervously, their eyes burning into my soul, at least that's how it feels. It's just because I'm late, right?

"So... Hinata..." Tanaka walks over to me. He has a mischievous smirk on his face, it's making me nervous. What's going on? Why is everyone so quiet? "What's going on with you and Tsukishima?"

Oh damn here we go, he definitely saw us kiss yesterday and, by the looks of it, he's told the team. "W-what? I don't know what y-you're talking a-about!.." When in doubt, deny everything and hope for the best. Oh no, now they're looking all triumphant and stuff. Am I really that bad of a liar? Damn it, I always thought I was a great liar but apparently not.

Kei rolls his eyes; even when we're together his demeanour is so sarcastic towards me but I love that about him, wouldn't change it for the world. "You're such a bad liar, Shoyo. If you assholes must know, we're together but we've only been together for a couple of days. If anyone gets the wrong idea, I'll hammer some sense into you. If anyone even tries to hurt Shoyo, I'll hammer some respect into you. Has everyone got that? Good." Has anyone ever told him that he's hot when he's protective? Because someone needs to tell him and that someone is me. Just not right now while the team is here.

It was Kageyama who spoke first. "Boke! You'd really settle for someone like him?" Ah Kageyama, always the overprotective best friend who never thinks anyone is good enough for me. I still love him though, in the most platonic way possible. "But.." He bites his lip, is he embarrassed for what he's about to say? "..I guess I'm happy for you two.."

"You guess?" I scoff a little, suddenly getting all my confidence back. "Come on Kageyama, you can be more supportive than that!"

"Well, I think what Kageyama is trying to say is that he's happy that you're happy." Suga smiled at me and put an arm around Kageyama's shoulders, ruffling his hair which visibly pisses him off. "And that he's worried that Tsukishima is going to hurt you." Hurt me? Kei would never hurt me, he said he loves me.

"I'd never dream of hurting him, your majesty." Kei says, a slight growl in his voice that sends shivers down my spine. Please for the love of god do not start a fight. You're both worrying me, kind of scaring me, that you're going to fight so please for the love of god do not start a fight.

"Tsukishima, can you really blame him?" Daichi looked at the pair of us. Why is he lumping us in together? Is it just because we're together now? I'm still my own person! Hmph.. "He's his best friend, best friends have a right to worry about each other. So bear with him, ok? Oh, and this next part is directed at the pair of you. I'm sure the rest of the team will agree that we accept your relationship." The rest of the team nods and I smile. "However, if this gets in the way of the team and practice overall, coach will probably take you off the starting lineup so keep it under control."

I nod. "Yes Daichi! We've got it! Thank you guys!" There's a whole load of excitement in my voice, now we don't have to hide it anymore! Screw you Kei, I told you they'd accept us! I knew! I knew they would! Ha!

Daichi smiled. "Ok, well now we've got that out of the way we can start practice. Coach isn't here yet so let's warm up, a couple of laps should do it followed by stretches. We have matches coming up and we don't need anyone to get injured." We start to run, this has been an amazing morning.


	17. 311 days

~Tsukishima~

It's after school on a Wednesday which means that we have practice in about half an hour. It kind of sucks, it's been a shit day and I really can't be arsed with practice, or the team for that matter. They've been bothering Shoyo and I about our relationship all day. Like, to the point that Tanaka and Noya came down to where the first years have classes just to bother us. Do they seriously not have anything better to apply their brain cells, or rather lack of brain cells, to? Like you two are literally failing all your classes, go study or some shit and leave me and my little cinnamon bun alone.

Well, at least Shoyo looks happy enough. Oh, who am I kidding, he's always happy on a practice day, volleyball is his life and anyone who can't see that is fucking blind. I wrap an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into my side. "Someone looks happy." Good job Kei, well done for pointing out the obvious.

"Are you kidding? Of course I'm happy!" He has that stupid sparkle in his eyes again. I swear to god, I will dismember anyone who even thinks about making him lose that sparkle. "It's a practice day! That means I get to play volleyball with all my friends again!" Aww bless him, he gets so excited about practice, I will protect this little fucker and his excitement at all costs.

You know what would last longer than a memory? A picture. That way, whenever I'm sad, I can just look at his adorable face, even when he's... you know what, there's no point in pretending it's not happening. Shoyo is going to die in 311 days, I'll need something to remind me of him when he's gone. "Hey Shoyo?" He looks up at me with that confused, puppy-like expression. Stop making me turn soft! Stop it! "Wanna take a picture with me? You know..so when yo-we grow up together, we can look back on the way we were fondly." Nice save Kei, nice fucking save. You nearly gave the game away just then. He can't know about the timer! It'd break his heart!

He giggles. "You don't have to ask that! I'd love to take a picture with you, you big goof!" Looks like my little bean learned the ways of casually insulting people without offending them. Good to know I'm having an effect.

"Come here then." I pull him around, in front of me, so we're facing a mirror. Why the fuck do they even have mirrors on the locker doors? Is it just so we can all see our faces and wallow in self loathing before class? I don't know but it definitely makes for a good photo. "Yup..." I smile as I look at it. "That's going on my Instagram..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aah I just wanted to apologise for some of the chapters being short again!


	18. 310 days

~Hinata~

"Do I look ok? Like genuinely, if I don't just tell me." I can feel my knees shaking beneath me. What can I say, the nerves are definitely getting to me. It's not like this is a big deal in the grand scheme of things. I'm only meeting my boyfriend's family, that's all, it's really not that big of a deal so I don't know why it's getting to me.

Kei sighs and ruffles my hair. Did he really have to do that? I spent ages trying to get my hair to cooperate with me and you really had to go and mess it up. "You look fine, Shoyo. You're adorable as always."

I feel a blush rise to my cheeks. "I-I-" God damn it Kei, why are you so good with your words? "D-damn it! You m-messed my hair up.." Why am I stuttering? Why the hell am I stuttering? Damn it voice, why do you betray me like this?

"Calm your stutter, it's getting annoying and we're not even at mine yet." His voice sounds harsher than it did before, just the old Tsukki that I fell in love with poking through. At least I haven't rubbed off on him too badly, it'd be awful if he lost his only personality trait which is being too salty for his own good.

"I'll try my best.." I plaster on a smile, smaller and weaker than usual but I have my reasons for that, it's supposedly cute to smile like that. "But only because it's you, I'd do anything for you~"

His face is going red, bingo, my work here is done. "You're going to regret saying that by the end of the night, trust me." Ughhhh just when I thought I had the upper hand in this game, he goes and says something like that. I need to try harder but, at the same time, I don't have the confidence to say anything even close to that. Anyway, I think this is Tsukki's house now. Either that or he has the key to some stranger's house which is highly unlikely. He steps aside, holding the door open for me. "Ladies first."

Are you kidding me right now? "Eh? I'm no lady!" I go inside anyway, why wouldn't I want to get out of the cold?

"Wait, really?" I watch as a surprised look covers his face. "Damn Shoyo, I always thought you were a girl..proves how much I know.." Is he kidding? He better be kidding, damn it! "Aww, don't make that face Sho chan." He ruffles my hair again; stop doing that already! "Can you really blame me? You're cuter than most of the girls in our year, you'd fit in pretty well among any of the girls teams.." He looks like he's getting lost in thought, his face is turning red. Damn it, if he's thinking weird thoughts about me hands are going to get thrown!

"Kei? Is that you?" Oh thank god, a random woman has come to save us. Wait, thinking about it that's probably his mum, they look too similar to not be related. She's smiling at me now, it's a sweet smile. I wish I could smile like that. "And you must be Shoyo, welcome to our humble abode."

I smile back at her. "Thank you Mrs Tsukishima." I know I've only known her for... less than a minute but she genuinely seems like a nice lady. Honestly, I was expecting Kei's family to be as grumpy as he is but apparently I was wrong.

"Oh sweetheart, there's no need for formalities." She walks forward and rests a hand on my shoulder. Not going to lie, it makes me feel less nervous. "Please, call me mum. I'm pretty sure our Kei is already planning on marrying you, so you might as well start thinking of us as your family right now." Wait, is she being serious? Oh my god, does he really want to marry me? Don't blush don't blush don't blush, it's embarrassing please Shoyo for the love of god do not blush.

I look over at Tsukki who, by the way, is blushing up an absolute storm. "Mum! Don't put words in my mouth!" Ooh someone's getting defensive. He wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me close. "Besides, it'd only be unfair to Shoyo to force him to spend his whole damn life with someone like me."

"Aww Kei.." I feel kind of bad now. Is that really what he thinks about himself? That it'd be unfair on me to marry him? That's such a lie, I'd be lucky to have him! "Don't think like that.." I wrap my arms around him, resting my head against his side. "You know full well that I'd be lucky to have someone like you."

"Stop fawning over each other and come inside." A tall man, who looks kind of like Kei but a couple of years older, speaks up. "The food's going to go cold."

Kei rolls his eyes and I swear he's holding me closer than before. "Oh whatever Akiteru, don't you have work tonight?" Akiteru, huh? Is this Kei's brother?

"Not tonight little bro." He ruffles up Kei's hair. He has to strain himself to reach his head though. Damn, it must suck being shorter than your younger sibling. If Natsu ever grows taller than me, I will riot. "Why, do you not want me here?"

"Ok boys, no arguing when we have a guest over." Mum leads all of us inside. This is going to be... either an amazing evening or a terrible one and, oh boy, am I willing to find out how this is going to play out.


	19. 309 days

~Hinata~

My eyes flutter open. I try to adjust to the light peeking through the curtains, squinting until my eyes can handle it. How early is it? It can't be that early because Kei's already awake. He's lying there and staring directly at me, it's high key freaking me out. What's he thinking? Do I even want to know what he's thinking? Wait, of course I want to know, I'm curious and proud of it. He's still staring, I lie completely still. Why am I pretending that I'm not awake? This is dumb, he's my boyfriend, why not just talk to him? No, then he'll feel awkward because he'll know I know he was staring at me! Ugh, why is this so difficult? I'm never sleeping in the same bed as someone again, waking up next to them is so awkward.

"I know you're awake Shoyo." I nearly jump out of my skin, how did he know? He chuckles. "You're not fooling me sugar, your eyes are literally open." Oh, so that's how he knew... Why does that surprise me? He's really observant and I didn't think for a moment that he would notice my eyes are open. Can you blame me? It's early, I think, and my brain isn't working properly yet so shut up.

I yawn and roll over slightly so we're looking each other in the eyes. "Looks like you caught me." I laugh sheepishly. "Good morning Kei, how did you sleep?"

He shrugs, wrapping his arms around my waist. It's comforting, I won't lie. "I slept well, better than usual because you were here." Aww that's quite sweet actually, who knew the god of salt himself had a sweet side?

"That's cute." I peck his forehead. "Quick question though, why were you... why were you staring at me before?" There, I asked it. Are you satisfied curiosity? You better be because I totally just freaked him out and I really don't think it was worth it.

He blinks at me a few times, like he's trying to process what I just said. "I'm sorry, is it an issue? Am I not allowed to admire my sleeping boyfriend? Am I supposed to wake you up even when you're clearly tired?" That's the old sarcastic Tsukki that we all know and love. I shake my head violently, I'm sure I'll get used to it with time. "Good." He moves one of his hands up from my waist, tangling it in my hair on the back of my head. "Now, want to watch another movie?"

I snake my arms around his neck. "But Kei, we basically watched everything on Netflix last night, remember?" We had a massive movie night last night, popcorn and everything. I know going to Costa and the park with Tsukki was fun but, honestly, this has been my favourite of our dates so far. Turns out, Kei is a massive disney fan. I never would've guessed it but it's actually quite cute.

"Sho, you clearly underestimate how many movies there are on Netflix." He chuckles and grabs the tv remote, turning it back on and going back onto Netflix. Here we go again. "Now, what kind of movie do you want to watch?"

I shrug as we break the hug and sit up, leaning against the pillows and looking at the tv. "I don't mind, you can choose this time." He let me choose most of the movies last night so I'll let him decide. I'll probably end up zoning out and messing with his hair anyway. His hair is surprisingly fluffy, even though it looks like it's just messy, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't mind me messing with it.

"Suit yourself." He puts on a movie, it's called Next Gen. "I think you'll like this one." I've never seen this film before but I know Yachi has, she's told me to watch it on way too many occasions. Well, I guess I'm finally getting round to it. At least the main character looks cool, I can't judge anything else about the movie yet. He wraps a single arm around my shoulders and I snuggle into his side. "Do you want any food? Or a drink?"

I shake my head. "I'm good, thanks." Can we stay here forever? And just watch films as we cuddle? And do cute little couple things? I'd like to stay like this forever. I pull my sleeves further down so they're basically covering my hands. As much as I want to stay here, I'll have to get up at some point and get ready. But first, we can finish this movie and maybe start another. Scrap that, we're going to end up wasting a whole day like this and I'm down for that.


	20. 308 days

~Tsukishima~

I'm currently sat on Hinata's couch, he's on my lap same as always. I don't mind, he's pretty light, it's not like he's going to break my thighs so I'm chill with it. Kageyama's sat in armchair on the other side of the room, next to the wall, and Yamaguchi's sat on the floor in front of the couch. I don't know why he's sat on the floor, there's plenty of space on the couch but apparently he's comfy where he is. We're only waiting on Yachi, of course she's the one who takes forever to get here. She's probably putting way too much effort into her appearance, same as always, to look good for Yamaguchi. I'm 99% sure that they're together, I've thought that for ages. Everyone always says that they're together but, if you ask one of them, they'll say that it's a lie. Personally, I think they're shy about it which is pretty pathetic, no one would care if they were together so why not be up front about it?

There's a knock at the door, that must be Yachi. "I'll get it!" Shoyo gets up and goes to the door. Now it's just me, Yamaguchi and Kageyama in the room. Well, I guess Yamaguchi will have to keep the peace between the two of us unless Shoyo comes back quickly.

Wait no, he's back already. Yachi's following behind him. She has a plastic bag which she puts on the table. "Hey guys, sorry I took so long." I can see a small blush on Yamaguchi's cheeks, he obviously thinks she looks cute. High key, they'd be ok as a couple. She's definitely a good match for my best friend. "But I brought extra controllers." She pulls out four other joycons and two of the connectors out the bag.

"Ooh nice!" Hinata sits back on my lap, which I very much appreciate, and smiles at her. "Now we can all have a full controller!" He already has one set of joycons and two pro controllers. If you add Yachi's into the mix, we do have five full controllers. Well no shit Tsukki, it's basic maths. Forget I even thought anything, my brain is turning to fucking mush.

The king lets out an audible sigh. "Can we just start the damn game? I've been ready to kick boke's ass for the past half an hour." He hasn't even been here half an hour, unlike me who's basically been here all day, so he can piss right off.

A smirk crawls onto Hinata's face, it suits him. "You wish! I'll have you know, Bakageyama, that I'm basically a master at smash bros!" Yeah right, I highly doubt that. No offence to him but he seems like the type of person who mains one of those characters who have what can basically described as a win button like Kirby and that god forsaken hammer. "Besides, I haven't lost a game yet this season!"

Now it's my turn to speak. "You say season like this is some kind of intense game or tournament. It's not, it's just smash bros." I scoff. "And besides, the only person you've played against recently is Natsu."

He pouts and folds his arms, how cute of him. "Shut up, practice is practice and Natsu's pretty good for her age!"

I ruffle his hair. "It's alright Sho, I was just pissing about no need to get so defensive." I've learnt that Hinata is a very defensive person. It's quite funny to watch, especially when you push all the right buttons. I really shouldn't be going out of my way to make him go into defensive mode but, I won't lie, it's very entertaining. "Come on, let's start the game and you can have some fun, hm?" He nods, seeming to cheer up. Good.

The king rolls his eyes. "I can't believe I'm saying this but I don't know how you deal with Hinata. There's no way I could deal with someone that high maintenance.."

"Eh?! I'm not high maintenance! Bakageyama!"

Yamaguchi sighs and boots up the game, passing everyone a controller. I notice that he and Yachi have the pro controllers which puts them at an immediate advantage because they're arguably better than the two joycons strapped together. Oh well, who really cares anyway? This is, quite literally, just a game. Unless we put bets on it, I have no reason to want to win. We all connect our controllers and pick our characters. The selection goes something like this. Yamaguchi's playing Corrin, his name is Freckles~. Yachi's playing Jigglypuff, her name is Yacchan. Hinata's playing Kirby, I totally called it, his name is Gingernut which is very fitting and adorable. Kageyama's playing Joker, his name is K N U F F. Why the fuck is his name K N U F F? Is it like an inside joke or something? And then there's me, playing Donkey Kong with the name GetClapped.

We set the rules to loser chooses the map. Yamaguchi gets to choose first though because he's player one and there hasn't been any losers yet. He chooses mementos which, in my opinion, is a pretty good stage. As the game starts, Hinata whispers something in my ear. "Go after Kageyama with me?" I smirk, sounds like a plan. Oh boy, this is going to be a fun evening.


	21. 307 days

~Hinata~

I won't lie, I'm scared. I don't think I've ever been more scared in my life. You wanna know why? My dad's coming back tonight so I've decided this is the perfect, and only, opportunity to come out to my family. Now, my family aren't homophobic, they're very accepting people in general. Even Natsu's very accepting of me liking guys, she's the only person I've explained it to, but I think she's too young to understand the concept of gay and straight; to her love is love and I really like that mindset. Even so, I can't help being scared. What if something goes wrong? What if they've only been pretending to be accepting and they suddenly turn on me and kick me out? Oh god... maybe I should just put this off for another few months. Oh, but I can't put it off again! I want to introduce Tsukki to my family soon and introducing him as a friend would break my heart into pieces so I need to tell them now!

"Shoyo! Natsu! Tea's ready!" Mum calls from downstairs. Here we go, the moment of truth begins.

I go downstairs and slink into the kitchen, smiling at my dad who's seated across the table from where I usually sit. "Shoyo, how is my favourite son?" He looks the same as he did a year; the only difference is that he's wearing different clothes but that's expected. If he was wearing the exact same clothes I'd be pretty freaked out, not going to lie.

I smile and sit down in my usual seat. "I'm doing good dad. Good to see you again, by the way." Should I keep asking questions to put off coming out for another few minutes? Yes, yes I should. "How's the company doing? You were out there for a long time, it must've been serious."

"Yeah, I guess it was pretty damn serious." He chuckles sheepishly and rubs the back of his neck; I guess that's where I get it from. "But not serious as in I'm going to loose my job. They're considering closing the Canada branch because of financial troubles within and the scandal that happened within the branch last month."

"Well, it all sounds like business talk to me so let's save it for later, hm love?" Mum walks in and puts the plates down before sitting down in her seat. "Besides, we don't want to hear about the company, I want to hear about my husband and I'm pretty sure the kids want to hear about their dad." She kisses his cheek.

Natsu's face lights up. "Yeah! I wanna hear about daddy's time in America! Is it really like the kids from school say it is? Like all sunny and that big orange man runs it and-"

"Natsu!" Mum cuts her off. "Please stop bombarding your dad with questions, I'm sure he'll have plenty of time to answer them later." Why is she shutting her down like that? She's normally grateful for Natsu's repeated questioning, in her own words it drives the conversation so she doesn't have to come up with it. She looks at me. Oh god why is she looking at me? Does she know? "Shoyo, you've been surprisingly quiet tonight. Is there something bothering you?"

Well, she already knows something's wrong so I might as well just say it. "Yeah, there is something bothering me..but it's not easy to say.." My voice trails off to a whisper as I finish my sentence. What if this goes wrong? No, don't think like that Sho, it'll be ok. Your parents are very accepting people, you'll be fine. I take a deep breath. "You see, I'm about as straight as a rainbow, to put it bluntly. I have a boyfriend and his name is Kei, you know the tall one with the glasses on the team? So yeah.." That was the most pathetic coming out speech in the history of coming out speeches.

"Oh Sho.." Mum gets up and immediately pulls me into a hug from the side, nearly pulling me off my chair. "I can't believe I called it.."

"Huh?! You called it?!"

She chuckles. "Well you're not exactly great at hiding things, another thing that must run in the family, and if I'm being honest I started to suspect you weren't exactly straight back when you were in middle school." Wait she's known for that long? Are you kidding me? "Though I didn't think it'd be the blonde one... if anything I thought it would be that friend of yours, what's his name? Kageyama?"

"Mum! Ew! Believe it or not I do have standards!" If Kageyama heard that he would definitely punch me but hey, it it even a friendship if they don't threaten to hit you on a regular basis? I think not. I look at dad, who hasn't even spoken yet and is just staring at me. "Dad..."

Wait, now he's smiling. "Well done Shoyo, you're very brave." He's beckoning me over now, is he going to hit me? Wait no, that's stupid to even think about, dad would never hit me, he's not like that, why would I even think that? I break the hug with mum and walk over. He gets up and pulls me into a hug. "I'm very proud of you and I hope you and your boyfriend have a happy life."

I tentatively hug him back "...You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?" He chuckles and pats my shoulder, breaking the hug. "You're my son, Shoyo, I'll always love you and the same goes for your mother and sister." I smile and sit back down. "Now, how about we put this to rest and eat." We start eating. I'm surprised that went so well but, oh boy, I'm glad it did.


	22. 6 days

~Hinata~

The bell's just rang for the end of class, thank god. I hate science with my entire existance. It just doesn't make any sense and I know it's important but I hate knowing about it. I don't want to look at a fire and, instead of thinking it's just fire like any normal person would, think hey look that's combusting oxygen or whatever. So yeah, I hate science and everything it stands for. 

Anyway, it's time for practice now so it's all ok. I stand up and notice some smudged writing on the desk, the number 30. Shit, don't tell me this is what I think it is. I look at my wrist in a panic but it only confirms it. The god damn number smudged off, now all I'm left with is 6. Oh no oh no oh no, this is horrible! What am I supposed to do now? I've been changing that number everyday for what feels like forever, making sure it goes down once everyday so that Yachi and I can pull off our little soulmate trick, and it's bloody smudged off! I don't have my sharpie with me either so I can't replace the writing! Oh my god, it's all ruined!

I pick up my bag, maybe someone will have a long sleeve top or something I can borrow to hide it. The whole team knows about our plan, other than Tsukki, so they'll understand why I need it. I leave the classroom and spot Yachi. "Yacchan!" I run up to her, she'll know what to do! "Help me!"

"Hm? Sho?-" It looks like she's about to ask what's wrong but she doesn't have time, I'l already grabbed her arm and dragged her behind the stairwell, ignoring the weird looks people are giving us. No one ever comes behind the stairwell, it's pretty much an abandoned area of the school at this point, which makes it the perfect place to talk about this. "Ok, what's going on?"

I take a deep breath and show her the number on my wrist, or what's left of it anyway. "What do I do? He's going to notice the change, Yachi! It's over, we're so screwed!"

"Shoyo..." She sighs. "Deep breathes, it's ok, we can roll with this." She takes a tissue out of her pocket and a bottle of water, pouring some of the water on the tissue and using it to wipe off the remaining smudges of the 30, leaving only the 6. "From now on, you count down from six. Your family's going on a trip in six days anyway, so it's perfect. We hadn't thought out how you quote on quote die yet so... how about a car crash?" She has that semi devilish smirk on her face again.

"Jesus Christ Yachi, you're a genius..." I can't help the sigh of relief that escapes my lips. I knew Yachi would know what to do! She's an actual life saver. "Thanks for this. Come on, we're going to be late for practice." I grab her wrist again and run off to the gym, another problem solved and my ass is safe for another day.


	23. 5 days

~Tsukishima~

I got the last text from Hinata about ten minutes ago. He said that he was two minutes away from school I said I'd wait for him at the gate and we can walk to class together. Ten minutes later and there's no sign of the little fucker. Don't tell me he got abducted on his way to school. I swear to god, I've said it before and I'll say it again, if anyone brings harm to my little ginger boy I will not hesitate to commit murder. Wait no, I'm being paranoid, this is Shoyo we're talking about. The dumbass probably just found a cat on the way and got caught up petting it.

"Kei! Over here!" I look towards the familiar voice and smile at my little boyfriend as he runs over. He has something in his arms, it looks like... holy shit is that a fucking squirrel? Why the fuck is he carrying a squirrel around? "I'd like you to meet Squizzy!" Of course he named the damn thing Squizzy, what kind of name is Squizzy?

I look down at him, somewhat disappointed but honestly I'm not at all surprised. "Shoyo, put that thing back in whatever bush it came from." I roll my eyes and fold my arms.

"But Tsukki, he's so cute!" He whines. "I can't let him go when I'm emotionally attached to him!" How the fuck is he emotionally attached to him? He's known this creature for what, ten minutes? Oh my god I am voluntarily dating this dumb little piece of shit... Wait no, don't think like that. Shoyo may be a dumb little shit but you love him for it. Let's be honest, life would be so dull without him. "He's part of my family now!"

I sigh. "Shoyo, he's not part of your family and you're not emotionally attached to him. He's a wild animal and you need to let him go back to his bush home and to his own family, ok?" I take the squirrel out of his arms but, as he clings onto him, I notice a big change in the number on his wrist. It makes my heart stop, drop and roll out my ass and across the floor. How? How did it drop by 302 days? What happened? Oh my god I feel like crying; I might start this day off by crying. My Shoyo, my beloved Shoyo, the light of my fucking life is going to die in five god damn days! He can't die yet, there's still so much we have to do! He's still so young, he needed that last year! I drop the squirrel and step back, feeling a few tears spill down my cheeks. "S-Sho.." I'm going to have a fucking panic attack, I swear to god.

"Kei? What's wrong?" He rests his hands on my forearm and I can see the confused expression on his face through the tears. That's probably the worst part about all of this, he doesn't even know and I can't bring myself to tell him. I don't want to be the one to break his precious little heart like that. He pulls me into a hug. "It's ok... I don't know what's wrong but it's ok..." He rubs little circles on my back, something my mum used to do when I was younger to calm me down. But nothing's going to calm me down, not this time.

I grab his hand and start dragging him along the street, away from school, while wiping my eyes with the other hand. "I'm skipping today and you're coming with me." He looks at me, still very confused but following my anyway. "Please don't give me that look Shoyo, I need to calm down and...the only way I'm going to calm down is by being with you..." I bite my lip and grip his hand tight, like he'll slip away from me if I let go. That's when it hits me. In five days, he's going to slip away from me forever...


	24. 4 days

~Hinata~

Something ruffles my hair and it's not Tsukki's hand, for a change. It's the wind. It's blowing the leaves around the park, a couple of them hit me in the face but that's ok because Tsukki pulls me into his chest to protect me from the wind, at least I think that's why he's doing it but that's not what I'm about to say. "Babe listen, I know you like it when I touch your chest but we're supposed to be on a walk."

"I know..." He buries his face in my hair, nuzzling the top of my head. "...just please give me a minute..." I won't lie, I'm starting to feel bad for doing this to him. Especially when he saw the number yesterday and started crying. Tsukki never cries, that's how I know it hit him hard. I feel awful for making him feel this way but I can't let up this act until it's over. It's for the good of both of us, he fell in love with me and he'll be so damn happy when I quote on quote come back from the dead! It's perfect, foolproof! I just have to deal with hurting my boyfriend a little longer.

"Ok, I'll give you a minute." I smile a little and wrap my arms around him. "But only a minute, got it? I wanna keep walking!" I shouldn't be saying things like that, especially with what I'm putting him through, but there's no point in standing here and feeling sorry about it. If Kei did something like this to me and I didn't know that it was a joke, after the crying had ended I'd want to spend as much quality time with him and make as many final happy memories as I can. So that's what I'm going to do with him, make sure he has as many happy memories as he can before I 'die' for one whole day.

He let go of me a little while later. "Ok, we can keep walking now." The small smile he's wearing is quite clearly plastered on. He wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me close to his side. "But you've got to stay close, got it?"

I wrap my arm around his side and smile up at him. "You got it Kei!" I stand on my tip toes and quickly kiss his cheek before we start walking again.

"Heh... Shortie..." He tightens the arm around me and starts walking. I feel my blood start to boil and I look up at him, about to snap back but he cuts me off. "Oh don't you give me that look, you cute little fuckhead. You're short, get over it." He ruffles my hair for what feels like the seventeenth time today but I don't mind it. "Chibi~"

"Oi! I'm no chibi, Saltyshima!" I don't understand why people always call me that, it's so not true! He chuckles and shakes his head, clearly not in the mood to argue about it right now, even if I'm only doing it to be playful. "Come on Kei, let's go get ice cream!"

He takes my hand and we start walking to the shop, at least I assume that's where we're going because they do some really good ice creams in there. "Ok, but don't get the most expensive one for the love of god. I didn't bring much cash out with me." Well, for one, I never get anything expensive when Kei's paying. It's rude to use up someone else's money, even if they're your boyfriend.

But that doesn't matter anyway because I brought my own money with me today. "Well, I can promise you I won't because I'm paying today." With everything that I'm putting Kei through at the moment, I should probably do something nice to him. Like, it's not very much but oh well. Buying us both some ice cream might make him feel a little bit happier. Ice cream makes people happy, right?

"Are you sure? I always pay for you Shoyo, today doesn't have to be any different." Ah, I see how it is. I have a hunch that he wants to treat me as well as he can during my last four days alive. I am going to have to make this up big time to him when all this is over. I nod my head, telling him that I'm sure. He sighs. "Well, if you insist I won't stop you..."

I giggle and we start walking again. "Just don't get the most expensive one 'kay?" Oh it feels so good to use his own words sort of against him like that. Mm such a good feeling...

A small smile creeps back onto his face and he gently squeezes my shoulders. "Oh so you're using my words against me now? Hm... are you going to do that with everything I say?" I nod. I mean, it depends on what he's saying really. If it seems fun to reuse his words, I will. "Ooh~ you will? I wonder what I can make you say..."

"Kei!" I go bright red and push him away from me. "Don't get your hopes up, I do know what I'm saying you big baka!"

"Mhm, sureeeee you do." He chuckles again and kisses my head. I won't lie, I calmed down again from that. "Come on shrimp, let's get ice cream."


	25. 3 days

~Hinata~

I look myself up and down in the mirror. Ok, it's like six in the afternoon and I'm only just getting changed out of my uniform but, if I'm being honest, I'm not that bothered and I want to look good tonight. Sure, it's only dinner with the family but we have a special guest tonight and it's not a crime to want to look good for my boyfriend, same as always. I'm wearing jeans and a light coloured t shirt, not too tight which is good because my parents probably wouldn't approve of that. Besides, I can only really pull that off when Yachi's there to give me advice because I can't put outfits together to save my damn life.

I hear a knock at the door and run downstairs. "I'll get it!" I unlock the door and basically throw it open. What can I say? I'm excited! "Tsukki! Hey!" I smile up at my tall boyfriend, taking his hand and pulling him into the house. "Mum! Dad! Natsu! Kei's here!" I lock the door behind him, I don't want him to escape anytime soon. I'm just kidding!... unless.

It's mum who comes to greet him first, coming out of the kitchen to say hi. Hopefully dad doesn't burn anything while she's not there. Dad's usually good at cooking but he seems to forget how our stove works whenever he spends long periods of time out of the country so mum has to help him out with it for like the first week until he remembers. "Oh, so you're the boy my son keeps talking about."

A small smile creeps across his face. "Aww Sho, you never said you talk about me." He ruffles my hair, it doesn't matter I couldn't get it to cooperate anyway. "That's very sweet of you, sugar."

I feel a blush grow on my cheeks. I know this isn't the first time he's called me sugar but it's still as cute as it always is. "Well yeah, I thought you'd figure it out considering I love you..." I look up at him with a small smile. "Also, you're pretty clever so I didn't think I'd have to tell you, Tsukki."

Tsukki opens his mouth to reply to me but mum gets there first. "Aww well aren't you two the cutest little couple? Stop standing by the door and come and sit down at the table." She basically pulls us through into the house and we sit down at the table. "Your dad and I will have finished the food soon, ok?"

"Mhm, that's fine!" I smile at her and she walks off into the kitchen. "Thanks mum!" I shout after her, she gives me a thumbs up around the kitchen door before disappearing again. Why is she even asking us if it's ok? She's the adult here, we're just the kids. Mind you, she's probably trying to seem nicer in front of Kei, he is the guest after all but she's always nice so I don't see what the deal is.

Natsu's already got her eyes locked onto my boyfriend, that innocent little smile on her face which only means one thing, he's about to get bombarded with questions. "So you're nii chan's boyfriend?" She leans forward towards him slightly and... I think she's examining him. "Ooh! You and nii san are gonna have really pretty children!"

I go bright red and I feel my eyebrows shoot up. "Natsu!" If I was having a drink, I definitely would've spat it across the table but, luckily, I was not. "Jesus how do you even know about that? Besides, that's not how biology works so please-" I need to stop now before I go off on a big old lecture towards my baby sister. How the hell does she even know this stuff? Kids these days... wait no I take that back I sound like a boomer.

Kei chuckles. "I don't know Natsu, maybe one day but if you ever do become an auntie it won't be biological." Ah yes Kei, because my still-in-elementary-school sister understands the concept of adoption. We get it, you're clever and understood everything at the age of four but that doesn't mean my sister's the same.

She blinks at him, her head tilted slightly in confusion. "What does biolography mean?"

I laugh a little and smile. "Biological, Natsu. Not biolography." Am I going to explain to her what biological means? No, I really can't be bothered because for every question I answer she's only going to come up with about seventy more.

Mum comes back through with the plates and sits down. "Shoyo, stop confusing your sister." She smiles at me and dad sits down beside her. "Now shut up and eat up, your dad and I put effort into this." Yeah, mhm you go ahead and say that. Honestly, I thought they always put effort into it. I've tried cooking before and it's really hard even when I put all my effort into it. Anyway, time to eat.


	26. 2 days

~Tsukishima~

In two days, my damn boyfriend is going to die. I know that's a horrible thought to be thinking and I should probably be focusing on making our last two days together the best two days of our lives, a happy last two days for him, but I can't help but be hung up on it. I mean, it seems so surreal and not in a good way. In two days time, well, it'll be the last time I ever see him, my little sunshine. It's tearing me apart and I don't know what to do. Is it selfish of me not to tell him? Maybe if I told him, he'd be able to live out his last moments to the fullest but, then again, I wan't him to be as happy as he always is. If I told him now, how would he react? Would he have regrets for passing up so many opportunities? Would he be angry at me for not telling him sooner? Oh god, he'd definitely be angry at me. What if he breaks up with me? No, I definitely can't tell him. I can't risk him breaking up with me, not in these last two days.

"Kei!" I hear the voice and look up, seeing Shoyo from across the school yard. I stop leaning on the gate and take his hand once he reaches me, which takes a while because his legs are fucking tiny. This boy's really about to die at five foot five, huh? I shouldn't think that, that's really bad! He's literally going to die in two days! "Hey baby, sorry I took so long the teacher kept me after class."

"Why? Because you fell asleep in class again?" I chuckle and squeeze his hand a little as we start walking. "Well, I'm not disappointed and I'm also not surprised so that's a win on both fronts for you." I lean down and kiss the top of his head. "So I guess, as a prize, I'll walk you home." As a prize, my ass. I just want to spend as much time with him as I can but can you really blame me?

I watch as his precious little face lights up. Fuck I'm going to miss that. "Really? You will?" He basically wraps himself around my arm and clings onto me and, god fucking damn it, it's adorable. "Aww Kei thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!" Is it just me or is Hinata acting more... well, excited? Wait no, scrap that he's always this hyper I'm just making a big deal out of nothing as per fucking always.

"Hey, there's no need to get so thankful and excited, I'm your boyfriend, it's basically my job." I plaster on a smile, wait that might be weird for me, never mind I've done it now. "But you better be grateful because for me this is a two hour walk in the wrong direction." I chuckle a little, nothing's funny it just felt right, and ruffle his hair yet again.

"Hmm, ok! I'll make it worth your while!" Ohoho is he now? Fuck I need to stop thinking like that! Shoyo is innocent and close to his death bed and it's fucked up of me to think like that. "Kei? Baby?" Oh, I must've zoned out. I look down, straight into his eyes as he stares back up at me. I won't lie, it's a very intense stare. Can he read my thoughts? If he can read my thoughts I am fucked with a capital f.

"Yes Sho?" Wait, he definitely can't read my thoughts because he doesn't look like he's about to kill me. He still looks intense though. Is something wrong? Oh god, what if someone told him? Yachi and Yamaguchi both know, they might've told him he's going to die soon! Wait no, neither of them know about the decrease in the number, I think we're ok on that front.

Ok, now he's messing around with his fingers. It's almost like he's nervous. There's definitely something wrong with him today. "No no it's nothing! You just...you zoned out right when I was about to give you something..." He mumbles but I still hear him loud and clear. Well, as close to loud and clear as I can anyway.

I tilt my head slightly and furrow my brow. "Give me something? What do you want to give me Hina?" Whatever this is, it better be something good I can remember him by. Wait no, that might not be a good idea, I'll just end up crying and I don't cry. Well, I cried the other day when I saw the number drop but that doesn't count! You know what, forget it! I do cry, but only over Shoyo!

He bit his lip and reaches into his pocket. Whatever it is, it must be small if he can fit it in his pocket. "Well I... I want to spend my life with you and..." He pulls out a small box and shoves it into my hands. "We're not old enough to get married so I got promise rings instead!"

My hands are very shaky as I take the box, I'm kind of scared I'm going to drop it. Oh god, I want to accept so bad but I can't be promised to someone who's going to die before next week! "Sho I..." But I can't break his little heart, not right now, I want him to be happy so guess what, I'm accepting. I put my familiar smirk back on and open the box, putting one ring on his finger and the other on mine. "That was the most shit proposal I've ever seen. I'm only accepting this because I love you."

His little face lights up and it warms my damn heart. "Seriously? Oh my god!" And then he's hugging me, his face buried in my chest and he keeps thanking me, over and over again. I smile, just a little, and wrap my arms around him, resting one of my hands on the back of his head. What have I just done? Shoyo's going to die, if I haven't mentioned that already, and now we're fucking promised to one another. But that's ok, right? Because we both love each other and that's all that matters. It'll be ok and I'm determined to make these last two days everything he's ever wanted.


	27. 1 day

~Hinata~

It's hot wearing a long sleeve t-shirt, it's the middle of summer and the fabric is clinging to my arms but I don't really have a choice. I have to wear long sleeves this weekend because mum doesn't know about the number yet. Somehow, I don't think she'd approve of what I'm doing, even though I'm technically not doing anything wrong, so I'll have to keep all this a secret from her for a little while longer. It's not like I'm lying to my own mother, I'm just not exactly letting her into the truth. I am lying to Kei though and the more this goes on, the worse I feel about it... I hate having to break his heart like this but it's only two more days, I'll live. Besides, there's a light at the end of the tunnel in the sense that I'll be able to mend his heart at the end of all this. We'll be together forever. We'll get married one day and we'll be very happy. This is just the set up for our future, it's essential because, when all this is over, he'll love me forever and never want to let me go again. It's foolproof, it just hurts a little but I can deal with a little pain.

I lug my bag down the stairs, it's not that heavy but it's early and it's hot and I can't wait to just get this thing in the boot of the car. We're not going far, just to the airport, a four hour drive, to see dad off back to America and then we're staying over in a hotel for the weekend. No one wants to go but mum says we might as well do it because doing eight hours in a car in one day is pretty harsh. I'm not even the one driving through that time, I'll probably just be on my phone the whole time, and I still don't want to do it.

I lift up the boot and basically throw my bag in, there's nothing valuable in there so it's all good. As I close it and turn around, I lock eyes with... well, it's my boyfriend. Why is he here? Wait no that's a stupid question, I know exactly why he's here and it's because today is supposedly my last day alive. Oh god, I didn't think he'd show up here! What if he decides that now's the time to tell me that I'm dying? My whole family's here, he'll freak them out! "Kei, hi!" I plaster on a smile, I really need to act natural right now, if I show how badly I'm freaking out he might get suspicious.

"Shoyo..." He smiles back at me but something about it seems broken. "Hey, I was going to ask if you wanted to hang out with me today. My family are out and we could... you know, do things, like cuddle and watch films like we always do?"

Oh I see what he's trying to do. He's trying to stop me from getting in the car. "Aww Kei I'd love to hang out with you today but we're going to drop my dad off at the airport today and we're staying in Tokyo this weekend. But we can spend time together when I get back, ok? And you can call me whenever you want, it's not like I'm going to ignore you."

I watch as his face literally drops. Ok, maybe that last part about when I get back was a little too far. He is still under the impression that I'm not getting back after this. "Shoyo baby you don't understand, you can't get in the car." Oh god, he's losing his cool. I tilt my head slightly, giving him a deliberate confused look. "Listen I don't have time to explain but you have to believe me when I say that something... something horrible is going to happen to you if you get in that car!"

I already feel guilty for doing this but it has to be done, the heartbreak is essential if I want this to go as smoothly as I planned it to. "Sweetie I don't know what you're talking about. I'll call you as soon as I get there, ok? I promise you there's no need to be worried."

"But-"

I cut him off with a quick peck on the lips and a smile before he can even start speaking properly. "Baby, it's only a small trip, please calm down." I walk back around the side of the car. "I'll call you, promise." I blow him a kiss and, before he can stop me, get in the car. This is going to be a long four hours...


	28. 0 days

~Tsukishima~

Hinata Shoyo is dead, dead as fucking myspace, and I failed to save his life. It's weird, he was alive this morning, I was literally face timing him, but now it's safe to assume he's gone. There's no other explanation for it. He just disappeared off the face of the Earth, his family and all. No one can get through to him and there's no one at his house. Hell, he doesn't seem to be anywhere in town. Yachi's tried tracking his phone and apparently he's been frozen in the middle of the motorway for the past few hours. I'll check back with her in a bit to see if he's moved yet. I know it's such a low chance but I can't give up, even if it's basically confirmed that he's dead.

It's tearing me apart inside. I just want to break down and cry for the rest of my life. Is there even a point in living anymore? My boyfriend, my fucking soulmate, just died! Where do I go from here? People are supposed to be with their soulmate forever, right? Maybe the best thing is to... well, to join him.

No, I can't just kill myself. I can't believe I even thought that! Suicide is never the best option, how many years has society been shoving that down your throat now? Hm? How dare you even think about that? Shoyo wouldn't want you to kill yourself! If he was still alive he'd tell me not to kill myself, that I should keep going and I have so much to live for but that's the thing; he'd only say that if he was alive. Shoyo isn't alive anymore. There's nothing to stop me now so I might as well do it.

What about my family? I can't break them like that, it's unfair on them when they don't even know what happened Shoyo. How am I supposed to tell them about this? My mum actually really liked Shoyo, probably more than Yamaguchi but comparing my boyfriend and best friend probably isn't something she'd do, and I doubt she'll react well to the news. Wait no, I need to stop thinking about this right the fuck now! I'm making this entire situation about me and my family, like a selfish prick, when the only person I should be thinking about is Shoyo! Oh my god I'm an awful person!

I'll hold off killing myself for a little while. There's got to be something I can live for, right? Yeah, you know what, I'll keep living for the memories off Shoyo, the light of my fucking life. I'll remember him forever and I'll make sure everyone else remembers him to. I'll visit his grave everyday; I'll bring him little gifts and leave them for him, little things that I know he loved back when he was alive, when he was mine.

As the tears start to spill down my face, only one thought remains. I close my eyes and whisper to myself. "I'll never forget you, Shoyo Hinata..."


	29. -1 day

~Tsukishima~

I was very tempted not to show up to school today. There's no point in being here, not when we're missing such a vital part of not just our team but our whole school. At least, that's the way it is in my eyes. He was the light of my life, my replacement for oxygen, the entire source of my being and now he's gone. I didn't want to come in today, I just wanted to curl up in my room for the foreseeable future but my god damn mother decided that I can't just waste away like that and she sent me into school.

And that's how I ended up here, at the start of practice feeling... well, I feel empty inside. The gym is a lot quieter than usual today, it's weird. Even though I'm assuming that the news of Shoyo's death hasn't reached everyone on the team yet, you can still feel his absence in the atmosphere of the room. No one's even talking to each other; it's eerily quiet and so damn unsettling. Someone'll say something soon, right? We can't just stay in silence forever. Someone'll spill what happened to Shoyo and it won't be me. As much as I want to be the one to break the news to those few who don't know, I doubt I could even begin without crying.

"Guys, I need you to gather around." Daichi breaks the silence, thank god. Does this mean that Daichi knows about what happened? Am I assuming that Shoyo's the reason he's asking us all to gather around? Yes, yes I am and I feel no shame for that. The group, myself included, follows over and gathers around Daichi, almost reluctantly. Some of us know what's coming, us first years for example who were all directly involved in the discovery that Shoyo is dead. My god, just thinking about it makes me want to cry. "Ok, you're going to have to forgive me for what I'm about to say because it's not exactly pleasant." Yeah, he's definitely about to tell us what happened to Shoyo. Well, time to cry. I'll give it approximately a minute and a half of this conversation before I'm in tears.

~Hinata~

"A few of you might've noticed that Hinata isn't here today. No, forget I said that, all of you noticed that he's not here." Wow, I can hear what Daichi's saying surprisingly well from outside the gym. I've currently got my ear pressed against the door, thank god they gathered close by or I wouldn't be able to hear what he was saying. I need to be able to hear, I can't enter too early or it won't have the same effect. "I'm sorry to be the one to have to say this but-.." He takes a breath, probably because he's quote on quote sad, before continuing. "But he's dead. Hinata's dead."

There are a few broken sobs from... well, I don't know who they're from because I can't see what's going on from the other side of the metal door. "No... That can't be true!" That's definitely Tanaka's voice. "The little guy's stronger than that, he wouldn't just die!" He sounds absolutely destroyed, even though he knows what's really going on. They all do, other than Kei obviously. I didn't peg these guys for being such good actors but, oh boy, I am grateful that they are. Imagine if they were awful at playing this out and Kei caught on too early. That would not be a good situation.

"I'm sorry Tanaka, I really am, but it's true." Daichi speaks again. "His family went out to the airport on Saturday and on Sunday morning the car was found crashed in a ditch. His mum and sister made it, thankfully, but unfortunately Hinata was killed on impact." He sounds really sad, like he's sorry to have to be the one to tell them but it had to be Daichi, anyone else, other than maybe Suga, would've slipped up.

From what I can hear they've been having just one big group cry, it's lasted about five to ten minutes now and I think this is my cue to enter. It starts with a simple giggle and a "You really thought you could get rid of me?" This prompts a couple of gasps and confused noises from the group, a good start. Should I just go in now? I probably should, there isn't much point in prolonging this and I'm getting impatient. I brace myself, take a breath, open the door and walk into the gym. "I can't believe you fell for it, Kei." Cutting straight to the chase, that was probably the best way to do it. I plaster on my very familiar smile. This'll go just perfect, I can tell.

~Tsukishima~

"I can't believe you fell for it, Kei." What the hell is this? Those words echo around my head, what did I fall for? Is Shoyo not actually dead? No, this is his ghost, right? But ghosts aren't real so this has to be... well, I don't know what this is! He's dead, right? Was everything Daichi just told us a lie? Is this just someone pretending to be Shoyo for some kind of sick joke? I study his face, this is definitely him. I know every one of his facial features off by heart at this point, how could I forget them?

But Daichi just told us that Shoyo is dead. Why is he standing here? What about the timer? It ran out yesterday! "Shoyo..." There's something boiling up inside me as I think over what to say. It's a mixture of anger, betrayal and, strangely, relief. Was everything a lie? Was the timer not real? No, I refuse to accept that he's been lying to me since day one! "...What the hell is this? You're supposed to be dead..." He lets out a small giggle and starts walking towards me. Before he can get too close, I grab his wrist and roll the sleeve up on his countdown arm. I need to see what it looks like. I was expecting either a -1 or just a plain, untouched wrist with no sign of a number but what I saw was... well, it looks like smudges, specifically black pen smudges, and what looks like a 0 but not completely rubbed out. "...You lied?" I feel my heart snap in two as I drop his wrist and back away.

I watch as his face drops, confirming what I just said. "Kei... Kei baby no, it's not what it looks like..." Oh so you were coming in here all fucking loud and proud a second ago but now I actually know the truth you've reverted to backing off? God fucking damn it! You lied to me about you dying! What do I say? Should I even say anything? At the moment I'm just standing there and glaring at him. He looks down, clearly ashamed as he should be, and starts backing away from me. "...you weren't supposed to see that..."

I feel my blood boil. "Oh I wasn't supposed to see that? No fucking shit Hinata!" Yes, we are now back on last name terms. First names, at least in my books, are for people who you love, trust and consider to be important to you. "What? Were you just expecting me to be happy that you're back and not question for a second that you should be dead? I'm not stupid, you dumb mother fucker! How dare you! You messed with my fucking emotions and made me think you were going to die and you expect me to love you?! You're a sick and twisted bastard! Why the fuck would you do this?! Did you enjoy watching me being in pain?! Psychotic fuck, we're over! Never even come near me again!"

Was I too harsh on him? No, absolutely not! He has tears in his eyes now and he runs away, hiding behind Suga. Oh so I scared him? Well he fucking scared me when he pretended he was going to die! I look around the group and they all have similar looks of shock on their faces. "I-In Hinata's defence..." Yachi starts to speak, I should've known she had something to do with it to, the little sneak. "...it wasn't just him who was involved, we all helped..." The rest of the team nods in agreement which only makes me even angrier.

"So you all lied to me? Is that supposed to make me feel better, that all my friends betrayed my trust?" This just keeps getting worse and worse. "Fuck this... fuck you all! I'm leaving and if any one of you even try and communicate with me... well, just don't do it! I need some time alone..." I don't have the energy to even shout anymore as I storm out of the gym. What the fuck was that? Did I seriously just lose everyone because my psychopath of an ex boyfriend lied to me and manipulated me? Yeah, that's exactly what just happened and holy fuck it hurts. What comes next? Should I forgive them? No, I shouldn't, they betrayed my trust but, on the other hand, I did just lose everyone including Hinata, who up until half an hour ago was the light of my life. But that's it, the end.

Our story ends here.


End file.
